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This paper reviews the cognitive neuroscience of decision making and summarizes a talk given by the author at a SOL-UK workshop entitled 'Improving the Decision-Taking Process in Institutions' and held at the London School of Economics on 23rd June, 2006.\n\nAn operational definition of decision making is discussed as it relates to neuroscientific research and application. Neuroanatomical and cortico- subcortical as well as cortico-cortical connections between brain structures are then reviewed as they relate to the decision making process. Finally, while biased toward the individual level of analysis, extrapolations to the larger group environment are also discussed.

Tired of all that mushy nonsense that comes with Valentine's Day - the schmaltzy cards, the heart-shaped box of chocolates, the earnest whispers and secret nothings? It's about time someone took a cold, harsh look at love and expose it for what it really is: chemistry. That's right, forget about magic - when you boil it down, love is nothing more than a molecular stew, sloshing around inside our skulls. Researchers have begun to identify these compounds and understand exactly what they do.

there's some suggestive evidence that the brain might contemplate other people very differently when that person is a virtual Facebook "page" and not a flesh and blood individual, with a tangible physical presence. Humans, after all, are social primates, blessed and burdened with a set of paleolithic social instincts. We aren't used to thinking about people as computerized abstractions. (The Frontal Cortex)

By combining the models and tasks of Game Theory with modern psychological and neuroscientific methods, the neuroeconomic approach to the study of social decision-making has the potential to extend our knowledge of brain mechanisms involved in social decisions and to advance theoretical models of how we make decisions in a rich, interactive environment. Research has already begun to illustrate how social exchange can act directly on the brain's reward system, how affective factors play an important role in bargaining and competitive games, and how the ability to assess another's intentions is related to strategic play. These findings provide a fruitful starting point for improved models of social decision-making, informed by the formal mathematical approach of economics and constrained by known neural mechanisms. -- Sanfey 318 (5850): 598 -- Science

An overview of neuroethics and neurolaw that covers a lot of ground, from Phineas Gage to comas. Ways that the brain controls behaviour, issues of responsibility and accountability in the legal system, decision making, recidivism and rehabilitation, predicting violence, the hype and reality of fMRI lie detectors and the implicit association test (IAT), and more. Mentions a clinical trial that's testing neurofeedback for controlling cravings.

What makes people behave honestly when confronted with opportunities for dishonest gain? Research on the interplay between controlled and automatic processes in decision making suggests 2 hypotheses: According to the "Will" hypothesis, honesty results from the active resistance of temptation, comparable to the controlled cognitive processes that enable the delay of reward. According to the "Grace" hypothesis, honesty results from the absence of temptation, consistent with research emphasizing the determination of behavior by the presence or absence of automatic processes. (Deric Bownds' MindBlog) Abstract: http://is.gd/2mKtF

This talk mulls over how/why human's construct these things we call a self or an "I" .

"Cdk5 therefore appears to be crucial only for later stages of the maturation of newborn neurons. The authors suggest that the improper connections formed by these cells could interfere with information processing in the hippocampus. However, they did not carry out any behavioural tests to explore the consequences of blocking cdk5 activity. This would be an interesting thing to do next, given the recent discovery that new neurons are needed for new memories. Nevertheless, the new findings could have important implications for the use of stem cells in cell replacement therapies for neurological diseases, as they suggest that cells would have to be transplanted accurately into specific locations in order to be effective. " (Neurophilosophy)

If we knew what made some people vulnerable to the effects of tryptophan depletion, we would be a long way towards understanding depression. We still don't. But it's something to do with serotonin. In some people, in some circumstances, serotonin is the only thing between happiness and despair. No, really. (Neuroskeptic)

If I were a sociologist of science, I would jump on mirror neurons - they are the perfect object if you want to study a scientific controversy today.

"Now a recent breakthrough by the Cambridge neuroscientist and geneticist Seth Grant may provide a third possibility. In a report published in the June 2008 issue of Nature Neuroscience, Grant and his colleagues analyzed synapses in organisms of increasing evolutionary complexity, from single-celled organisms to vertebrates. They found that more advanced organisms also had more complex synapses, allowing neurons to communicate in more complicated ways." Seed

The picture of agency presented here is one well worth pursuing. Murphy and Brown have not presented us with a view that is defensible, both because it is far too sketchy to be properly assessed, and because many of the claims made will no doubt turn out to be false. However, the general outlines of the view are plausible, and there is a rich research agenda here. Perhaps future work will see some of the details worked out, and the gaps filled. (Neil Levy)

Jim Schnabel offers a brief essay in NatureNews on neuroscientists who are suggesting that is effectiveness of drug intervention programs is related to their strengthening of executive frontal lobe functions. (Deric Bownds' MindBlog)