Decision Uncertainty and
the Brain
Recent studies of neuronal activity in awake-behaving primates
have begun to reveal the computational architecture for
primate decision-making. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these experimental
studies indicate that neurons of the parietal cortex explicitly
encode classical decision variables like Bayesian prior
probability and expected utility. The most recent of these
studies have even employed game theoretic methodologies
to examine neuronal computation during volitional decision-making.
Glimcher's presentation reviewed many of these findings
and suggested that a mathematical framework rooted in modern
economic theory will provide the critical computational
tool required for understanding the neural basis of human
and animal decision-making.
