All parts of the brain › Decision-making

What part of the brain controls decision-making?

No single part. The regions most often named are in the frontal lobe: the orbitofrontal cortex on its underside, just above the eye sockets, the overlapping ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and the anterior cingulate cortex, the front of the cingulate gyrus. The rest of the prefrontal cortex holds goals and plans in mind (the executive functions), the caudate nucleus ties actions to reward, and the amygdala and insula bring in emotion and the body’s state. [1][2][3]

The anterior cingulate cortex is a region on the cingulate gyrus, not a separate shape. The 3D model has no shape for it, so the whole cingulate gyrus is lit; the region’s exact border is not drawn.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a region on the prefrontal cortex, not a separate shape. The 3D model has no shape for it, so the whole prefrontal cortex is lit; the region’s exact border is not drawn.

The 3D brain needs JavaScript. The list of parts still says what each one does for decision-making.

Slice

All 6 parts are lit together. Drag to turn, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap a part on the brain or a name in the list to focus it; .

Decision-making: 6 parts lit

Prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, caudate nucleus, amygdala and insula. Tap one to see where it is and what it does.

The parts and their roles

Its basic activity is described as orchestrating thoughts and actions in line with internal goals: it is implicated in planning, decision-making and working memory, and its dorsolateral part is active in risky and moral decisions, such as how to share out limited resources. [4][5] Where is the prefrontal cortex?
Named for its place above the orbits of the eyes, it is a prefrontal region involved in decision-making that is thought to represent emotion, taste, smell and reward when choosing, and to encode the value of the options in a situation. [2][3] Where is the orbitofrontal cortex?
Its front part, the anterior cingulate cortex, monitors for conflict and errors, is most active when a task takes effort, and is thought to weigh past rewards to guide the next action. [6][1] Where is the cingulate gyrus?
One of the structures of the reward system and part of the loop from cortex through the basal ganglia and thalamus back to cortex; it supports goal-directed action and the inhibitory control that holds back an action. [7][3] Where is the caudate nucleus?
Has a primary role in processing memory, decision-making and emotional responses; the rear of the orbitofrontal cortex is the part most heavily wired to it. [8][2] Where is the amygdala?
Is considered a key structure in the circuitry behind complex decisions and is active during social decision-making; it also carries a sense of the body’s inner state. [9] Where is the insula?

Named areas on the lit gyri

The anterior cingulate cortex, on the : The anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann areas 24, 32 and 33) is the front part of the cingulate cortex, curving like a collar around the front of the corpus callosum; it is involved in attention, reward anticipation, decision-making and impulse control. [6]
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, on the : The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lateral Brodmann areas 9 and 46) lies mainly in the middle frontal gyrus, on the upper outer side of the prefrontal cortex; it is a functional area, not an anatomical structure, tied to working memory, planning and flexible thinking. [5]

How they work together

Executive functions, also called cognitive control, are the processes that support goal-directed behaviour, such as planning, working memory, inhibition and flexible thinking. The prefrontal cortex is necessary for them but not sufficient on its own: they rely on networks spread across the brain rather than one region. [3]
The parts are wired in loops: the orbitofrontal cortex projects to the striatum, including the caudate nucleus, and is reciprocally connected with the amygdala; the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connects with the orbitofrontal cortex and the dorsal caudate nucleus; and the caudate sits on the cortex–basal ganglia–thalamus–cortex loop that returns signals to the front of the brain. [2][5][7]
The anterior cingulate cortex has two sides: its upper (dorsal) part connects with the prefrontal and parietal cortex and the motor system and assigns control, while its lower (ventral) part connects with the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus and front of the insula and judges how emotionally and motivationally important something is. When it detects a conflict, it cues other areas to cope. [6]
A worked example of the conflict it detects is the Stroop task: naming the ink colour of the word RED printed in blue is slow because reading gets in the way, and that clash activates the anterior cingulate cortex. A brain signal called the error-related negativity is generated there when a person makes a mistake. [6]
Emotion can help rather than hinder: the somatic marker hypothesis holds that decisions with uncertain outcomes are aided by bodily states, felt while thinking through the consequences, that mark each option as advantageous or not. [1]
Waiting is part of choosing: the prefrontal cortex is described as controlling the option to delay an immediate reward for a better longer-term one. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is one of the most recently evolved parts of the human brain and keeps maturing into adulthood. [4][5]
Honest limit: the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex are functional regions, not shapes of their own on this model, so the whole cingulate gyrus and the whole prefrontal cortex light. Other parts also take part but are not lit here: the parietal cortex, whose neurons in monkeys signal how confident a decision is, and the cerebellum, ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra, named for some executive functions. [5][1][3]

Sources

Facts describe anatomy and normal function only. A part lit here takes part in decision-making; it does not do it alone, and it does other jobs too. The 3D model is the adult male BodyParts3D brain (credits and licence); on it the brainstem includes the midbrain, pons and medulla, so lighting the brainstem lights all three.