Neural correlates of the subjective experience of free-will during value-based risky decisions: a pilot study
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 17, 2026 Priyamvada Modak, Joshua W. Brown
During a risky decision-making task, participants reported how much free will they experienced. Brain regions in the mid-cingulum and middle frontal gyrus showed a positive association with self-reported free will, while the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus showed a negative association. Requiring participants to report their free will experience increased BOLD signal in the striatum during decisions. Behaviorally, reaction time showed a positive trend with free will. The small sample size limits conclusions, but the results offer a proof-of-concept for studying the neural and behavioral mechanisms of the subjective experience of free will.