Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, United States.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Jun;43:259-68. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.027. Epub 2014 Apr 13.
Neural correlates of value have been extensively reported in a diverse set of brain regions. However, in many cases it is difficult to determine whether a particular neural response pattern corresponds to a value-signal per se as opposed to an array of alternative non-value related processes, such as outcome-identity coding, informational coding, encoding of autonomic and skeletomotor consequences, alongside previously described "salience" or "attentional" effects. Here, I review a number of experimental manipulations that can be used to test for value, and I identify the challenges in ascertaining whether a particular neural response is or is not a value signal. Finally, I emphasize that some non-value related signals may be especially informative as a means of providing insight into the nature of the decision-making related computations that are being implemented in a particular brain region.
神经价值相关性在一系列不同的脑区中得到了广泛的报道。然而，在许多情况下，很难确定特定的神经反应模式是否对应于价值信号本身，还是对应于一系列替代的非价值相关过程，如结果身份编码、信息编码、自主和骨骼运动后果的编码，以及之前描述的“显著”或“注意”效应。在这里，我回顾了一些可用于测试价值的实验操作，并确定了确定特定神经反应是否是价值信号的挑战。最后，我强调，一些非价值相关的信号可能特别有意义，可以深入了解在特定脑区中实施的决策相关计算的性质。
