Neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex encode economic value

In the study of animal behaviour, an ‘economic choice’ involves an individual animal's selection between many options based on a subjective estimation of the benefits. It has long been known that neurons in different parts of the brain respond to separate attributes, such as quantity, colour and taste. And now part of the brain, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been linked to the value judgements involved in economic choice. This was established in tests on macaque monkeys choosing whether to drink water or various types of juice. Neurons in the OFC changed their firing rate in a way that reflected the monkey's valuation of the drink. In humans, lesions in the orbitofrontal cortex are known to result in eating disorders, compulsive gambling and other conditions involving ‘choice deficit’; there is also a link to drug abuse, arguably another aspect of choice.