Talk by Samuel McClure (Stanford University)

Professor from Stanford University Samuel McClure gave a talk on «Cognitive and Neural Processes in Delay Discounting».

Professor Samuel McClure (Stanford University) presented his research on «Cognitive and Neural Processes in Delay Discounting».
Delay discounting, expressed in preferences between outcomes available at different points in time, relates to a number of important life outcomes ranging from academic and professional success to impulsivity and addiction. Moreover, delay discount rates are known to covary with a number of inter- and intra-individual factors. In this talk, Samuel presented work that has done to understand the cognitive and neural processes that give rise to delay discounting and hence the dimensions along which delay discount rates vary.
His findings identify distinct cognitive functions subsumed by mesolimbic reward structures (particularly the ventral striatum, vStr, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, vmPFC) and the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC). Samuel  reviewed some evidence that these systems independently contribute to variability in delay discount rates. However, the vmPFC/vStr and lPFC should not be considered truly independent. He concluded the talk with recent work identifying mechanisms by which the systems interact during the choice process. The nature of this interaction suggests a means by which lPFC may interact with value signals derived from vmPFC to implement a form of self-control.