Prefrontal cortex damage abolishes brand-cued changes in cola preference

Michael Koenigs; Daniel Tranel

doi:10.1093/scan/nsm032

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Journal article

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Prefrontal cortex damage abolishes brand-cued changes in cola preference

Michael Koenigs and Daniel Tranel

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, Vol.3(1), pp.1-6

03/2008

DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsm032

PMCID: PMC2288573

PMID: 18392113

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Abstract

Human decision-making is remarkably susceptible to commercial advertising, yet the neurobiological basis of this phenomenon remains largely unexplored. With a series of Coke and Pepsi taste tests we show that patients with damage specifically involving ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC), an area important for emotion, did not demonstrate the normal preference bias when exposed to brand information. Both comparison groups (neurologically normal adults and lesion patients with intact VMPC) preferred Pepsi in a blind taste test, but in subsequent taste tests that featured brand information ('semi-blind' taste tests), both comparison groups' preferences were skewed toward Coke, illustrating the so-called 'Pepsi paradox'. Like comparison groups, the VMPC patients preferred Pepsi in the blind taste test, but unlike comparison groups, the VMPC patients maintained their Pepsi preference in the semi-blind test. The result that VMPC damage abolishes the 'Pepsi paradox' suggests that the VMPC is an important part of the neural substrate for translating commercial images into brand preferences.

Single-Blind Method

Brain Damage, Chronic - psychology

Food Preferences - psychology

Food Preferences - physiology

Humans

Middle Aged

Prefrontal Cortex - physiopathology

Male

Reference Values

Case-Control Studies

Taste Perception - physiology

Social Identification

Adult

Choice Behavior - physiology

Female

Cola

Carbonated Beverages

Brain Damage, Chronic - physiopathology

Consumer Behavior

Adolescent

Aged

Decision Making - physiology

Advertising as Topic

Drinking Behavior - physiology

Recognition (Psychology)

Prefrontal Cortex - physiology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Prefrontal cortex damage abolishes brand-cued changes in cola preference
Creators: Michael Koenigs - Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. koenigsm@ninds.nih.gov
Daniel Tranel
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, Vol.3(1), pp.1-6
DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsm032
PMID: 18392113
PMCID: PMC2288573
NLM abbreviation: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
ISSN: 1749-5024
eISSN: 1749-5024
Publisher: England
Grant note: R01 DA022549 / NIDA NIH HHS P01 NS019632 / NINDS NIH HHS R01 DA022549-02 / NIDA NIH HHS P01 NS19632 / NINDS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 03/2008
Academic Unit: Neurology; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984002595902771

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