Ben Hayden, “Neuronal Foundations of Economic Value”

Value is a central concept in economic theory and in neuroeconomics. Nonetheless, we have only recently begun to understand how the brain evaluates options and compares values to make beneficial choices. These processes appear to involve the coordinated action of multiple prefrontal and striatal regions acting together. Our work suggests that value is an emergent process that depends on the coordinated action of component processes, including memory, executive control, and action selection.