Abstract
When humans are offered the choice between rewards available at different
points in time, the relative values of the options are discounted
according to their expected delays until delivery. Using functional
magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural correlates of
time discounting while subjects made a series of choices between
monetary reward options that varied by delay to delivery. We demonstrate
that two separate systems are involved in such decisions. Parts of
the limbic system associated with the midbrain dopamine system, including
paralimbic cortex, are preferentially activated by decisions involving
immediately available rewards. In contrast, regions of the lateral
prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex are engaged uniformly
by intertemporal choices irrespective of delay. Furthermore, the
relative engagement of the two systems is directly associated with
subjects' choices, with greater relative fronto-parietal activity
when subjects choose longer term options.
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