Task 5 - Success, failure and the cerebral cortex

Question 1

Three-way division of the cerebral cortex

Lee et al. (2007)

Answer 1

1. Orbital frontal cortex (OFC): Deciding on values for objects in the environment
2. Lateral PFC: Encodes states of environment, links objects to outcomes
3. Medial cingulate cortex (MCC): Action-outcome association

Question 2

Rushworth’s model of goal-oriented decision-making

Answer 2

Step 1: Value assignment (assign and update values of objects): Lateral OFC
Step 2: Value comparison: Medial OFC, ventromedial PFC (vmPFC)
Step 3: Action value comparison and selection: Medial cingulate cortex (MCC), dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC)

Question 3

How do the models of Lee et al. and Rushworth fit together?

Answer 3

They describe the same cortical regions playing complementary roles, Rushworth a little bit more specific.

Question 4

What is sensory-specific satiety?

Answer 4

When you get a certain reward you get satiated and the reward value for that specific reward decreases (helps regulate food intake for example)

Question 5

Why is the default-mode network involved in goal-directed behavior? (And what part?)

Answer 5

• Specifically the mPFC is implicated because it deals with self-referential processing
• Is important for personal preferences/values which help determine utility of object