1
The Neural Process of Decision-Making
Untangling the Complexities
Your Name;
Department Name, University Name
Course Code; Course Name
Name of your professor
Due date
2
The Neural Process of Decision-Making
Untangling the Complexities
Decision-making can be regarded as the act of trying to make a choice. The choice can be
rational or irrational and our emotions, biases, memories, and reason influence it. Decisionmaking plays a major role in our daily personal lives and business organizations. Decisionmaking is complex due to the intricate nature of cognitive processes involved in making
decisions and choices. It encompasses various factors such as sensory inputs, internal
representations, information processing, and goal-oriented behaviors. Neurons the
specialized cells in our nervous systems play a crucial role in decision-making, they receive
and transmit information through electrochemical signals, from one neuron to the other
making them form a complex interconnected network. Scientists try to understand the
neurons by studying one at a time using techniques like electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and
computational modeling. Understanding the underlying principles in decision-making can be
very helpful in understanding the basic components of the brain, creating artificially
intelligent computers that can make human-like decisions, and also give us breakthroughs in
some problems like addiction.
Neuroscientific Studies and their Major Findings
Decision-making is something that has raised curiosity among many major neuroscientists.
Neuroscientists have conducted major studies, to try to understand major decision-making
processes from simple choices to complex high-decision choices. Some of the neuroscientists
include;
1. There is a classic study trying to understand simple choices by Paul Glimcher and
his colleagues in the year (2008). They used functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) to examine neural activities in the time of making decisions involving
3
monetary rewards. They came up with a finding that a part of the brain called the
ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) was correlated with a subjective value
assigned to different options. Another study by Benedetto de Martino and colleagues
(2006) analyzed neural activity using FMRI during a simple binary choice task. In
their study they came to understand that in the brain there are two distinct brain
regions, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the anterior insula, they found that
this distinct brain region correlated with decision conflict and predicted future
choices.
2. Another study to try to understand risky decisions was conducted by Camille et al.
(2004) by employing FMRI. The people who participated in the research were asked
to make gambling choices. The results showed that risky options activated the nucleus
accumbens while choosing safe options activated the anterior insula.
3. There is also another study that involves high-stakes decisions that were conducted
by Molly Crockett and his colleagues (2013). They used techniques like brain
imaging, economic games, and moral vignettes to investigate the overlapping and
distinct neural circuits involved in moral and economic decision-making.
Role of the Brain in Decision-Making
The brain has different regions each specialized with its function, some of which play major
roles in decision making. Let’s look at them;
1. The Prefrontal Cortex, particularly the VPMFC and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
(DLPFC), is essential for higher-order decision processes. The VMPFC is responsible
for integrating value-related information and also assessing the subjective value of
things, while the DLPFC is involved in working memory, cognitive control, and
4
abstract reasoning. This allows us to evaluate and compare different options during
decision-making.
2. The amygdala, is a region in the brain that is responsible for emotional processing. It
asses the potential threats and also controls our fear responses, which makes it
influence decisions in an emotionally charged way.
3. The striatum is another region of the brain involved in reward processing and also
reinforcement learning. The nucleus accumbent (NAcc) which is part of the brain's
response system has been found to respond in reward anticipation and has also been
linked to motivation and approach behaviors. The dorsal striatum is responsible for
habit formation and also action selection based on learned associations between
actions and outcomes.
4. Another region is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a place where functions like
error detection, conflict monitoring, and decision uncertainty. It helps evaluate
different options and also resolve conflicts during decision-making.
5. The insula is another part that is involved in interoception, emotional awareness, and
processing of bodily states. It also plays a role in subjective feelings.
These regions work collaboratively in the decision-making process, like the prefrontal cortex
and striatum interact to integrate cognitive and motivational information, allowing for the
valuation and selection of options based on their expected rewards or punishments. The
amygdala’s connections with the prefrontal cortex and striatum facilitate the integration of
emotional and motivational signals into decision processes, influencing the evaluation of
options and risk assessment, another collaborative interaction between the insula and the
prefrontal cortex contributes to the integration of emotional and interoceptive signals during
decision making, influencing subjective feelings and emotional regulation.
Further Avenues to be Researched on
5
While there has been progress in understanding the complexities of decision-making in the
brain, there is still much to explore in areas like developmental studies where examinations
on how decision-making processes develop and change across lifespan should be conducted.
In the area of neurodynamics, researchers should continue their research on trying to
understand patterns of neural activity during decision-making. Neurochemical modulation is
another area where studies on neurotransmitters and neuromodulators on decision processing
should be conducted. In the area of computational models, software engineers should try to
develop and refine computational models of decision-making that capture the interactions
between different brain regions and generate testable predictions.
These avenues for further research can deepen our understanding of decision-making in the
brain, uncover mechanisms across different contexts, and potentially lead to the development
of more effective interventions for decision-making-related disorders.
6
References
Wikipedia,(2024), The neural process of decision making, https://www.wikipedia.com