my favorite brain regions
pick a brain region to see where it is, what it does, and which of our studies looked at it. (no offense to the rest of the brain.)
the left half of the brainthe right half of the brainboth halves of the brain
looking at the inside: imagine opening the brain like a book. this is the inner face of its left half.
looking at the outside: this is the left side of the brain, beneath your left temple.
looking toward the front: the forehead is closest to you. the right half of the brain is hidden.
looking toward the back: the back of the head is closest to you. the right half of the brain is hidden.
looking from below: this is the underside of the left half of the brain.
looking at the inside: imagine opening the brain like a book. this is the inner face of its right half.
looking at the outside: this is the right side of the brain, beneath your right temple.
looking toward the front: the forehead is closest to you. the left half of the brain is hidden.
looking toward the back: the back of the head is closest to you. the left half of the brain is hidden.
looking from below: this is the underside of the right half of the brain.
looking at the left side: the left half of the brain, beneath your left temple, is closest to you.
looking at the right side: the right half of the brain, beneath your right temple, is closest to you.
looking toward the front: the forehead is closest to you, with both halves side by side.
looking toward the back: the back of the head is closest to you, with both halves side by side.
looking from below: this is the underside of both halves of the brain.
coral · vmPFC; other regions · gray
bringing the brain into view…
the 3D view could not load. the region descriptions and study links are available below.
the selected region is in color; other regions are gray. follow a study link to see the measured brain results.
medial prefrontal cortex
how does a map of options become a choice?
medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) both represents maps and tracks value. in our latest study, it showed a grid-like signal along with entorhinal cortex when people compared options. in our commentary on a study of navigating by smell, we pointed out that these two regions keep showing up together, whatever is being mapped. i’m interested in how mPFC uses a map like that to guide a choice.
my work about this brain region
preferences shape how the brain maps optionsthe brain can build a map from smellsvmPFC
what is this worth to me?
the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) helps track how much an option is worth to us. in our study of teens, its response to the value added by peers’ safe choices was stronger in those who had never used substances. i’m interested in how it brings together our own preferences, what we know about an option, and what other people choose.
my work about this brain region
when peer pressure makes teens saferpreferences shape how the brain maps optionsanterior cingulate cortex
what happens when a decision is difficult?
anterior cingulate cortex contributes to evaluating actions and adjusting behavior when decisions are demanding. our lesion study focused on its dorsal portion: people with damage there relied more on following others’ choices. it offers a way to ask how we choose when our own evaluation is disrupted.
my work about this brain region
following the crowd as a shortcutanterior insula
how do uncertainty and feelings enter a choice?
the anterior insula helps integrate information about bodily feelings, uncertainty, and risk. our work asks how decisions change when the insula is disrupted, including how we use other people’s choices.
my work about this brain region
following the crowd as a shortcutentorhinal cortex
could the brain’s navigation system map our options?
entorhinal cortex works closely with the hippocampus. it contains grid cells, whose hexagonal firing patterns help the brain map physical space. in our latest study, we found a grid-like signal here when people compared options, and it followed each person’s own preferences. a map like that could help us compare a new option as soon as we know where it fits.
my work about this brain region
preferences shape how the brain maps optionsthe brain can build a map from smellshippocampus
how do separate experiences become connected?
you might learn that a is better than b, and that b is better than c. connecting those experiences lets you work out something new: how a compares with c. the hippocampus helps form and relate memories, including relationships between places. i’m interested in how that system also supports the maps we use to think and decide, and what it may be building while we rest.
my work about this brain region
learning on a break