How individual brain cells help the brain pick goals and actions
Probing the neural computations underlying goal-directed decision-making in humans with single-neuron recordings
Researchers will record signals from single brain cells in people to learn how the brain represents goals, stimulus values, and action values during decision-making.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146407 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I take part, researchers will record the activity of individual brain cells while I perform decision-making tasks that require choosing goals and actions. They will focus on frontal brain areas known as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). The team will compare how neurons represent the value of stimuli versus the value of actions and how a single goal is selected from several options. This work aims to map the neuronal signals that underlie goal-directed choices.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who are eligible for clinical brain monitoring or who have psychiatric conditions that affect goal-directed decision-making may be candidates.
Not a fit: People looking for immediate symptom relief or those not undergoing clinical brain monitoring are unlikely to get direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could clarify brain signals that go wrong in psychiatric disorders and guide development of better treatments for problems with goal-directed behavior.
How similar studies have performed: Related animal studies and human brain-imaging work suggest these brain regions matter, but single-neuron recordings in people for goal selection are novel and relatively untested.
Where this research is happening
Pasadena, United States
- California Institute of Technology — Pasadena, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'doherty, John P — California Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: O'doherty, John P
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.