Generalized encoding of the relative subjective value of cognitive effort in dorsal ACC

Abstract

Decision-making regarding cognitive effort engagement is a common feature of everyday experience, with important consequences for academic, career, and health outcomes. Yet, despite its hypothesized importance, very little is understood about the underlying mechanisms that support this form of human cost-benefit decision-making. To examine this question, we used the Cognitive Effort Discounting Paradigm (Cog-ED) during fMRI scanning to precisely quantify the neural encoding of varying cognitive effort demands relative to reward outcomes, within two distinct cognitive domains (working memory, speech comprehension). The findings provide strong evidence that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays a central and selective role in this decision-making process. Trial-by-trial modulations in dACC activation tracked the relative subjective value of the low-effort, low-reward option, with the strongest activity occurring when it was of greater value than the high-effort, high-reward option. In contrast, dACC activity was not modulated by decision difficulty, though such effects were found in other frontoparietal regions. Critically, dACC activity was also strongly correlated across the two cognitive domains, and further predicted subsequent choice behavior in both. Together, the results suggest that dACC activity modulation reflects a domain-general valuation comparison mechanism, which acts to bias participants away from decisions to engage in cognitive effort, when the perceived subjective costs of such engagement outweigh the reward-related benefits. These findings complement work in other cost domains and species by pointing to a clear role for the dACC in representing subjective value differences between choice options during cost- benefit decision-making.