Mulder Martijn J, Boekel Wouter, Ratcliff Roger, Forstmann Birte U
Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, 1018, TV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
Brain Struct Funct. 2014 Jul;219(4):1239-49. doi: 10.1007/s00429-013-0561-3. Epub 2013 Apr 30.
It has been suggested that a connection between the STN and value-sensitive areas of the prefrontal cortex might mediate value-based actions in perceptual decision making. In this study, we first seek to quantify a structural connection between the STN and a cortical region that was associated with mechanisms underlying bias in choice behavior (vmPFC). Next, we tested whether individual differences in the probabilistic tract-strength of this connection were predictive for individual differences in the magnitude of bias in a perceptual decision-making task. Probabilistic tractography was used to measure the tract-strength between the STN and the vmPFC. Bias was quantified using an accumulation-to-bound model where a shift in the starting point of the accumulation of sensory evidence causes faster and more choices for an alternative that is more likely or more valuable. Results show that vmPFC is structurally connected with the STN and that the strength of this connection is predictive for choice bias towards an alternative that is more valuable, but not for choice bias towards an alternative that is more likely. These findings confirm the involvement of the cortico-subthalamic circuit in mechanisms underlying value-based actions in perceptual decision making.
有人提出，丘脑底核（STN）与前额叶皮质的价值敏感区域之间的联系可能介导了感知决策中基于价值的行为。在本研究中，我们首先试图量化STN与一个与选择行为偏差（腹内侧前额叶皮质，vmPFC）潜在机制相关的皮质区域之间的结构联系。接下来，我们测试了这种联系的概率性纤维束强度的个体差异是否能预测感知决策任务中偏差大小的个体差异。使用概率性纤维束成像来测量STN与vmPFC之间的纤维束强度。使用累积到边界模型对偏差进行量化，其中感觉证据累积起点的偏移会导致对更可能或更有价值的备选方案更快地做出更多选择。结果表明，vmPFC与STN在结构上相连，并且这种联系的强度可预测对更有价值备选方案的选择偏差，但不能预测对更可能备选方案的选择偏差。这些发现证实了皮质-丘脑底核回路参与了感知决策中基于价值行为的潜在机制。
