Similar functional networks predict performance in both perceptual and value-based decision tasks

There are numerous commonalities between perceptual and preferential processes. For instance, both perceptual and value-based choices are highly influenced by context which leads to visual illusions and choice biases, respectively. We have previously shown that there is a within-participant behavioral relation between a perceptual phenomenon and a value-based bias. However, the neural processes and functional connections that underlie these similarities between perceptual and value-based decisions are still unclear. Hence, in the current study, we examine whether perceptual and preferential processes can be explained by similar functional networks using data from the Human Connectome Project. We used resting-state fMRI data to predict performance of two different decision-making tasks: a value-related task (the delay discounting task) and a perceptual task (the flanker task). We then compared between the functional networks that best predicted each of the tasks. Interestingly, we found a significant positive correlation between the functional networks which predicted the value-based and perceptual tasks. Additionally, a larger functional connectivity between visual and frontal decision brain areas was a critical feature in the prediction of both tasks. These results demonstrate that functional connections between perceptual and value-related areas in the brain are inherently related to decision making processes across domains.