Striatum and pre-SMA facilitate decision-making under time pressure

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805903105
• Publication Date: 2008-11-04T02:36:52Z
• Authors: Birte U. Forstmann; Gilles Dutilh; Scott Brown; Jane Neumann; D. Yves von Cramon; K. Richard Ridder...; Eric-Jan Wagenmakers
• Keywords: Neural substrate; Supplementary motor area

Human decision-making almost always takes place under time pressure. When people are engaged in activities such as shopping, driving, or playing chess, they have to continually balance the demands for fast decisions against accurate decisions. In cognitive sciences, this is thought be modulated by a response threshold, neural substrate of which currently subject speculation. speed experiment, we presented participants with cues that indicated different requirements speed. Application mathematical model behavioral data confirmed cueing lowered threshold. Functional neuroimaging showed activates striatum and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), brain structures part closed-loop circuit involved preparation voluntary action plans. Moreover, activation known release system from global inhibition, thereby facilitating faster but possibly premature actions. Finally, show individual variation pre-SMA selectively associated amplitude adjustments threshold estimated model. These results demonstrate when make pressure their increased levels activation.