Self-control in decision-making involves modulation of the vmPFC valuation system

Neuroeconomics: two camps gradually converging: what can economics gain from it?

“…Taken together, the view that emerges is one according to which ''… the DLPFC influences self-control by modulating the value signal encoded in the vmPFC'' (Hare et al 2009, 648). agrees with Hare et al (2009) that the DLPFC seems to be implicated in heeding long-term interests. Glimcher adds to this that it is probably the OFC that is specialized for the representation of immediately consumable rewards.…”

“…Hare et al (2009) note that this runs counter to the findings reported in McClure et al (2004McClure et al ( , 2007 that there are two separate valuation systems in the brain, one in the vmPFC associated with impulsive myopic decision-making when immediate rewards are available, and another one in the DLPFC associated with a more patient, self-controlled sort of decision-making that also takes account of delayed rewards. At the same time, however, Hare et al (2009) also find some evidence in favor of McClure et al's view that the DLPFC does play a critical role in the deployment of self-control. Taken together, the view that emerges is one according to which ''… the DLPFC influences self-control by modulating the value signal encoded in the vmPFC'' (Hare et al 2009, 648).…”

“…So it seems we witness a growing convergence between the two camps also with respect to this substantive issue. As proponents of BES, Hare et al (2009) seem to agree with Glimcher that there is just one valuation system in the brain involved in intertemporal choice and that the vmPFC plays a crucial role in this system. And Glimcher seems to agree with Hare et al that the vmPFC receives inputs from various brain areas, among them the DLPFC, for the processing of delayed rewards, and the OFC, for the processing of immediate rewards.…”

The Dual Track Theory of Moral Decision-Making: a Critique of the Neuroimaging Evidence

“…More dorsal areas represent the value of future actions, while more ventral regions represent the value of outcomes ( [52], 270). Within the vmPFC, there is evidence that different evaluations are represented via a 'common currency': that is, valuations of outcomes from a variety of sources (deliberation, emotional evaluation, or whatever) are represented in a commensurate way [53,54]. This means that activation in the vmPFC and frontal poles need not reveal anything about its source, but only about its role in future deliberation.…”

Neuroeconomics

“…In particular the vmPFC, implicated by neuropsychological studies, has been shown to represent the subjective value of different goods (food, nonfood, monetary gambles), when a decision to purchase is made (Chib et al, 2009;Plassmann et al, 2007), or when a trade-off between crucial choice parameters such as quality versus quantity is computed (Padoa-Schioppa and Assad, 2006). The interplay of this region with other frontal areas, and particularly the dorsomedial-dorsolateral frontal networks involved in cognitive control (Koechlin et al, 2003), was demonstrated by the observation that self-control while making choices is mediated by modulation of this region by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) (Hare et al, 2009). Via the experience (or 'nonexperience') of rewards and punishments, valuation plays a central role in their anticipation, and accordingly in behavioral learning.…”