CRCNS: Neurocomputational substrates of monetary exchange

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The research proposal focuses on studying how objects come to acquire value. In particular, we focus on the fact that humans have an unparalleled capacity come to value objects, including those like money which have no "intrinsic" value. Specifically, we seek elucidate the set of cognitive processes that have made money-emergence possible, as well as investigate their neural underpinnings. We will do so using a game-theoretic model of money emergence and carry out experiments using complementary methodologies -functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and focal lesion patients studies. Our hypothesis is that the neural circuitry involved in strategic learning in our money emergence environments builds upon those underlying learning about rewards, but engages additional computations related to belief-formation and mentalization. Disturbances in reward processing and decision-making are a hallmark of drug abuse and addiction. As such, a deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms supporting decision-making capacity has the promise to shed new light on questions of relevance to the mission of NIDA. RELEVANCE (See instructions): Disturbances in reward processing and decision-making are a hallmark of drug abuse and addiction. By studying how people come to value objects, we aim to provide a deeper understanding of the behavioral and neural processes that are affected in drug abuse and addiction.