The neuropsychology of ventral prefrontal cortex: decision-making and reversal learning.
Converging evidence from human lesion, animal lesion, and human functional neuroimaging studies implicates overlapping neural circuitry in ventral prefrontal cortex in decision-making and reversal learning. The ascending 5-HT and dopamine neurotransmitter systems have a modulatory role in both processes. There is accumulating evidence that measures of decision-making and reversal learning may be useful as functional markers of ventral prefrontal cortex integrity in psychiatric and neurological disorders. Whilst existing measures of decision-making may have superior sensitivity, reversal learning may offer superior selectivity, particularly within prefrontal cortex. Effective decision-making on existing measures requires the ability to adapt behaviour on the basis of changes in emotional significance, and this may underlie the shared neural circuitry with reversal learning.
Clark
L
L
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK. lc260@cam.ac.uk
Cools
R
R
Robbins
T W
TW
D000818:Animals; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009484:Neuropsychology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D012701:Serotonin