Adaptable
decision making in the brain
(June 21, 2012) Researchers
discover how part of the brain helps predict future events from past
experiences
Researchers
at the University of Iowa, together with colleagues from the California
Institute of Technology and New York University, have discovered how a part of
the brain helps predict future events from past experiences. The work sheds
light on the function of the front-most part of the frontal lobe, known as the
frontopolar cortex, an area of the cortex uniquely well developed in humans in
comparison with apes and other primates.
Making the best possible decisions in a changing and unpredictable environment is an enormous challenge. Not only does it require learning from past experience, but it also demands anticipating what might happen under circumstances not previously encountered. Past research from the UI Department of Neurology was among the first to show that damage to certain parts of the frontal lobe can cause severe deficits in decision making in rapidly changing environments.
Making the best possible decisions in a changing and unpredictable environment is an enormous challenge. Not only does it require learning from past experience, but it also demands anticipating what might happen under circumstances not previously encountered. Past research from the UI Department of Neurology was among the first to show that damage to certain parts of the frontal lobe can cause severe deficits in decision making in rapidly changing environments.