| Economic choice can be defined as the behavior observed when individuals make choices solely based on subjective preferences.Studies have shown that the brain makes decisions by assigning values to each option and then comparing them.The choice outcome often must be transformed into an action(good-to-action transformation).The lateral prefrontal cortex(LPFC)is considered to be the region most likely to participate in such transformation process.To study the neural mechanisms of good-to-action transformation,in our economic choice task,we dissociated in time and space decision-making and action planning.We discovered that,during good-to-action transformation,LPFC not only encodes the choice outcome and the action plan which contribute directly to the transformation,but also carries substantial chosen value information.Here we show that the chosen value signal also contributes to good-to-action transformation.We focused on investing how chosen value modulated the encoding of choice outcome in working memory and spatial information that is crucial to good-to-action transformation.We discovered that chosen value modulates the encoding accuracy of choice outcome in working memory with a positive correlation.During good-toaction transformation,higher chosen value also increases the encoding accuracy of spatial and action-related information.Furthermore,the degree of modulation in spatial coding by chosen value is much higher in LPFCd than that in LPFCv.Our results provide important evidence for understanding the neural mechanisms of valuedependent modulation of working memory and spatial coding during good-to-action transformation in the lateral prefrontal cortex. |
