Neuron
Volume 63, Issue 6, 24 September 2009, Pages 733-745
Journal home page for Neuron

Review
The Neurobiology of Decision: Consensus and Controversy

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2009.09.003Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

We review and synthesize recent neurophysiological studies of decision making in humans and nonhuman primates. From these studies, the basic outline of the neurobiological mechanism for primate choice is beginning to emerge. The identified mechanism is now known to include a multicomponent valuation stage, implemented in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and associated parts of striatum, and a choice stage, implemented in lateral prefrontal and parietal areas. Neurobiological studies of decision making are beginning to enhance our understanding of economic and social behavior as well as our understanding of significant health disorders where people's behavior plays a key role.

Cited by (0)