title: Disruption of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreases model-based in favor of model-free control in humans.
abstract: Human choice behavior often reflects a competition between inflexible computationally efficient control on the one hand and a slower more flexible system of control on the other. This distinction is well captured by model-free and model-based reinforcement learning algorithms. Here, studying human subjects, we show it is possible to shift the balance of control between these systems by disruption of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, such that participants manifest a dominance of the less optimal model-free control. In contrast, disruption of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impaired model-based performance only in those participants with low working memory capacity.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, UCL, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. Electronic address: petersmittenaar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smittenaar
authors.forename: Thomas H B
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romei
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dolan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult