To learn or to gain: neural signatures of exploration in human decision‑making

Shanshan Zhen, Zachary A. Yaple, Simon B. Eickhoff, Rongjun Yu*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Individuals not only take actions to obtain immediate rewards but also to gain more information to guide future choices. An ideal exploration–exploitation balance is crucial for maximizing reward over the long run. However, the neural signatures of exploration in humans remain unclear. Using quantitative meta analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments on exploratory behaviors, we sought to identify the concordant activity pertaining to exploration over a range of experiments. The results revealed that exploration activates concordant brain activity associated with risk (e.g., dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and anterior insula), cognitive control (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus), and motor processing (e.g., premotor cortex). These stereotaxic maps of exploration may indicate that exploration is highly linked to risk processing, but is also specifically associated with regions involved in executive control processes. Although this explanation should be treated as exploratory, these findings support theories positing an important role for the prefrontal–insular–motor cortical network in exploration.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)63-76
    Number of pages14
    JournalBrain Structure and Function
    Volume227
    Issue number1
    Early online date1 Oct 2021
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Anatomy
    • Neuroscience(all)
    • Histology

    User-Defined Keywords

    • ALE
    • Exploration
    • Insula
    • Meta-analysis
    • Risk
    • dmPFC

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