A causal role for posterior medial prefrontal cortex in choice-induced preference change

Izuma, K., Akula, S., Murayama, K., Wu, D.-A., Iacoboni, M. and Adolphs, R. (2015) A causal role for posterior medial prefrontal cortex in choice-induced preference change. The Journal of Neuroscience, 35 (8). pp. 3598-3606. ISSN 1529-2401 doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4591-14.2015

Abstract/Summary

After a person chooses between two items, preference for the chosen item will increase and preference for the unchosen item will decrease because of the choice made. In other words, we tend to justify or rationalize our past behavior by changing our attitude. This phenomenon of choice-induced preference change has been traditionally explained by cognitive dissonance theory. Choosing something that is disliked or not choosing something that is liked are both cognitively inconsistent, and in order to reduce this inconsistency, people tend to change their subsequently stated preference in accordance with their past choices. Previously, neuroimaging studies identified posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) as a key brain region involved in cognitive dissonance. However, it still remains unknown whether the pMFC plays a causal role in inducing preference change following cognitive dissonance. Here, we demonstrate that 25-min 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied over the pMFC significantly reduces choice-induced preference change compared to sham stimulation, or control stimulation over a different brain region, demonstrating a causal role for the pMFC.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/39332
Identification Number/DOI	10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4591-14.2015
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Neuroscience Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Social
Publisher	The Society for Neuroscience
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