Abstract
ABSTRACT Many decisions require the ability to imagine future scenarios and evaluate consequences that unfold over time. Growing evidence suggests that episodic memory systems play a crucial role in constructing representations of the future, yet the neural mechanisms linking future simulation to decision-making remain poorly understood. FORWARD was designed to address these questions by investigating the cognitive and neural foundations of future thinking and its influence on choice behavior. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combined neuropsychology, behavioral neuroscience, computational modeling, and comparative studies in humans and animals, FORWARD examined how memory networks support the construction of possible future events and guide decision-making. The project brought together the University of Bologna and SISSA (Trieste), integrating studies of patients with focal brain lesions, behavioral experiments in healthy participants, and neurophysiological research in animal models. RESULTS ACHIVIED The Bologna Unit investigated the contribution of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to episodic future thinking. A series of studies involving patients with focal vmPFC lesions demonstrated that this region supports the retrieval and activation of schematic knowledge about familiar events necessary for constructing coherent and detailed future events. The findings showed that vmPFC damage impairs future event construction when schematic structures must be internally generated, whereas performance improves when such structures are externally provided. The project also demonstrated that simulating personally relevant or other relevant future events can influence intertemporal decision-making by reducing the preference for immediate rewards over larger delayed outcomes. The SISSA Unit developed innovative experimental paradigms to investigate the mechanisms underlying the prediction of future events and rewards. Experiments conducted in both rats and humans demonstrated the ability to use environmental regularities to generate adaptive predictions and flexibly update decision strategies. The results further showed how information derived from past experience and current sensory input is integrated to construct more accurate representations of future outcomes. In parallel, computational models were developed and neurophysiological studies were initiated to identify the neural circuits supporting predictive processes. Overall, FORWARD has provided important new insights into the mechanisms linking memory, future imagination, and decision-making, advancing our understanding of the cognitive and neural bases of future-oriented behavior and opening new avenues for interventions aimed at improving adaptive decision-making.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Elisa Ciaramelli
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari"
Coordinator:
Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati di TRIESTE(Italy)
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 96.280,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
05/10/2023
End Date:
28/02/2026
