Neural correlates of strategic decision-making in the primate prefrontal cortex

Abstract

The prefrontal cortex of primates is well poised for carrying out multiple types of functions related to strategic decision-making. For example, outcomes of many strategic decisions can be observed only after substantial delays. The prefrontal cortex might play a key role in incorporating such delays into decisionmaking by representing the subjective value of delayed outcomes. In addition, the prefrontal cortex is likely to make multiple contributions to improving the strategies of decision-makers through experience. For trial-and-error learning, signals related to the decision-maker's previous choices and their outcomes must be combined properly, and this might be implemented flexibly in different regions of the prefrontal cortex according to the demands of specific tasks. How the brain predicts the outcomes of hypothetical actions based on its internal model of the environment is less well understood, but the arbitration and switching between different learning algorithms might also rely on specific regions of the prefrontal cortex, including the frontopolar cortex and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.