Skip Navigation


Cerebral Cortex Advance Access originally published online on September 11, 2008
Cerebral Cortex 2009 19(5):1134-1143; doi:10.1093/cercor/bhn154
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
19/5/1134    most recent
bhn154v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lawrence, N. S.
Right arrow Articles by Phillips, M. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lawrence, N. S.
Right arrow Articles by Phillips, M. L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Distinct Roles of Prefrontal Cortical Subregions in the Iowa Gambling Task

Natalia S. Lawrence1,2,3, Fabrice Jollant1,4, Owen O'Daly2, Fernando Zelaya2 and Mary L. Phillips1,5

1 King's College London, Section of Neuroscience and Emotion, Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, 2 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK, 3 Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, 4 Université Montpellier 1, Inserm U888, Montpellier, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier France, 5 Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Address correspondence to Dr Natalia Lawrence, Wales Institute of Cognitve Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Tower Building, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK. Email: LawrenceNS{at}cardiff.ac.uk.

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) assesses decision-making under initially ambiguous conditions. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging data suggest, albeit inconsistently, the involvement of numerous prefrontal cortical regions in task performance. To clarify the contributions of different prefrontal regions, we developed and validated a version of the IGT specifically modified for event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. General decision-making in healthy males elicited activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Choices from disadvantageous versus advantageous card decks produced activation in the medial frontal gyrus, lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and insula. Moreover, activation in these regions, along with the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and secondary somatosensory cortex, was positively associated with task performance. Lateral OFC and pre-SMA activation also showed a significant modulation over time, suggesting a role in learning. Striato-thalamic regions responded to wins more than losses. These results both replicate and add to previous findings and help to reconcile inconsistencies in neuropsychological data. They reveal that deciding advantageously under initially ambiguous conditions may require both continuous and dynamic processes involving both the ventral and dorsal prefrontal cortex.

Key Words: ambiguity • decision-making • medial frontal gyrus • orbitofrontal cortex • pre-supplementary motor area • wins

Natalia S. Lawrence and Fabrice Jollant contributed equally to this article.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Cereb CortexHome page
J. R. St. Onge and S. B. Floresco
Prefrontal Cortical Contribution to Risk-Based Decision Making
Cereb Cortex, November 5, 2009; (2009) bhp250v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
A. Christakou, M. Brammer, V. Giampietro, and K. Rubia
Right Ventromedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortices Mediate Adaptive Decisions under Ambiguity by Integrating Choice Utility and Outcome Evaluation
J. Neurosci., September 2, 2009; 29(35): 11020 - 11028.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.