Complementary and opponent value signals in the human brain support choosing the best and avoiding the worst

Whether the brain encodes the subjective value of pleasant and unpleasant situations via a single integrated circuit or through distinct pathways remains unresolved. How such signals guide choice across contexts also remains unclear. To address these questions, we recorded intracerebral activity from participants who rated pleasant and unpleasant scenarios and then made binary choices across domains and frames. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) broadband gamma activity (BGA, 50–150 Hz) tracked the value of pleasant items during rating and choice, correlating positively with the most pleasant item irrespective of choice frame. Similarly, anterior insula (aIns) BGA tracked the value of unpleasant items during rating and choice, correlating negatively with the most unpleasant item irrespective of choice frame. Relative value signals in the vmPFC and aIns diverged most strongly when item domain and choice frame conflicted. These findings reveal complementary neural systems for pleasant and unpleasant valuation and their role in value-based choices. Intracranial recordings reveal complementary and opponent value signals in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior insula that encode pleasant and unpleasant value and guide human choice.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-08-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76593-2
Primary Topic
Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Type
article
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article

Complementary and opponent value signals in the human brain support choosing the best and avoiding the worst

Lorella Minotti, Clarissa Baratin, Sylvain Rheims, Jiří Hammer et al.
Nature Communications
Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
article

Complementary and opponent value signals in the human brain support choosing the best and avoiding the worst

Lorella Minotti, Clarissa Baratin, Sylvain Rheims, Jiří Hammer, Emmanuel J. Barbeau, Alizée Lopez‐Persem, Marie Denuelle, Anca Nica, Petr Marusič, Guillaume Becq, Mathias Pessiglione, Julien Bastin, Blandine Chanteloup-Forêt, Philippe Kahane, Louis Maillard
article en

Abstract

Whether the brain encodes the subjective value of pleasant and unpleasant situations via a single integrated circuit or through distinct pathways remains unresolved. How such signals guide choice across contexts also remains unclear. To address these questions, we recorded intracerebral activity from participants who rated pleasant and unpleasant scenarios and then made binary choices across domains and frames. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) broadband gamma activity (BGA, 50–150 Hz) tracked the value of pleasant items during rating and choice, correlating positively with the most pleasant item irrespective of choice frame. Similarly, anterior insula (aIns) BGA tracked the value of unpleasant items during rating and choice, correlating negatively with the most unpleasant item irrespective of choice frame. Relative value signals in the vmPFC and aIns diverged most strongly when item domain and choice frame conflicted. These findings reveal complementary neural systems for pleasant and unpleasant valuation and their role in value-based choices. Intracranial recordings reveal complementary and opponent value signals in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior insula that encode pleasant and unpleasant value and guide human choice.

Nature Communications
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), Inserm (FR), Charles University (CZ), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble (FR), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR), Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Nancy (FR), Hospices Civils de Lyon (FR), GIPSA-Lab (FR), Centre de recherche cerveau et cognition (FR), Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (FR), Institut du Cerveau (FR), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes (FR), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
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