Single-Dimensional Human Brain Signals for Two-Dimensional Economic Choice Options

Rewarding choice options typically contain multiple components, but neural signals in single brain voxels are scalar and pri-marily vary up or down. In a previous study, we had designed reward bundles that contained the same two milkshakes with independently set amounts; we had used psychophysics and rigorous economic concepts to estimate two-dimensional choice indifference curves (ICs) that represented revealed stochastic preferences for these bundles in a systematic, integrated man-ner. All bundles on the same ICs were equally revealed preferred (and thus had same utility, as inferred from choice indiffer-ence); bundles on higher ICs (higher utility) were preferred to bundles on lower ICs (lower utility). In the current study, we used the established behavior for testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We now demonstrate neural responses in reward-related brain structures of human female and male participants, including striatum, midbrain, and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mid-OFC) that followed the characteristic pattern of ICs: similar responses along ICs (same util-ity despite different bundle composition), but monotonic change across ICs (different utility). Thus, these brain structures integrated multiple reward components into a scalar signal, well beyond the known subjective value coding of single-compo-nent rewards.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that reward-related brain structures in humans can integrate multiple reward components into a scalar signal, beyond the known subjective value coding of single-component rewards.