How the brain represents value to guide flexible decisions
Neurophysiology underlying neural representations of value
['FUNDING_R01'] · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · NIH-11285210
This project looks at patterns of brain activity that represent value and how those patterns help people make new or flexible decisions, with relevance to psychiatric conditions that impair decision-making.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (NEW YORK, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11285210 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers will record patterns of brain activity while people or animal subjects make choices in tasks that require generalizing to new situations or generating new responses to familiar cues. They will translate those activity patterns into an activity "space" and measure the geometry—distances and dimensionality—between responses across many neurons. The team will link features of these neural geometries to actual choices and behavioral flexibility in the tasks. The goal is to reveal neural signature(s) that may underlie adaptive versus maladaptive decision-making seen in some psychiatric disorders.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with psychiatric conditions that impair flexible decision-making or value-based choices (for example mood disorders, addiction, OCD, or schizophrenia) are most likely to benefit from the findings.
Not a fit: Patients whose conditions do not involve value-based decision problems or behavioral flexibility (for example isolated peripheral nerve or purely motor disorders) are less likely to see direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify neural patterns that explain poor decision-making and suggest targets for new diagnostics or treatments for psychiatric disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal and human work has linked brain activity to value-based decision-making, but applying representational-geometry analyses to novel and flexible decisions is a more recent and developing approach.
Where this research is happening
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SALZMAN, C. DANIEL — COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- Study coordinator: SALZMAN, C. DANIEL
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.