The numerous reports in support of action-value representation in the striatum are based on statistical analyses that are subject to two critical confounds and, thus, this long-held belief of striatal action-value representation should be retested using different experiments and analyses.

In economic choices under variable action costs, in contrast to the orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex represents not pre-decision but post-decision variables, thus might inform subsequent actions based on reward and effort associated with the choice outcomes.

Computed decisions degrade in working memory in a manner that depends on one of two strategies used to store relevant information as revealed by mathematical analysis of behavioral response patterns.

When mice use vision to choose their trajectories, a large fraction of parietal cortex activity can be precisely predicted from navigational attributes such as spatial position and heading.

A new computational analysis of decision making in mice shows sex biases in value-updating while exploring unknown options, with male mice tending to explore longer than females due to updating values more slowly.

Analyses show that happiness is not associated with the reward prediction errors resulting from decisions but instead with belief updating and learning the structure of the world.

Action-value signals previously found in many brain areas can be accounted for neither by concurrent serial correlations in neural activity and action value nor by signals for other decision variables.

Experiments in macaques and humans reveal time-varying changes in prefrontal cortex activity that occur during decisions based on costs and benefits.

Intra-individual variability in choice, response time, subjective effort, confidence, and choice-induced preference change and certainty gain is explained by a cost–benefit model of cognitive resource allocation.

Whenever monkeys are required to choose between multiple options, neural responses indicate that they first select the desired outcome and then use this information to guide their actions.