The second implication of the activations revealed in the contrast of deciding to quit compared to deciding to chase is that the gamblers may be in especial conflict on choices in which they quit, evidenced by significantly longer deliberation times required to make a decision to stop gambling. Activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex could also reflect the monitoring of conflict. Activity in this area has been reported in situations in which participants monitor cognitive states involving conflict or competition between activated responses (Carter et al., 1998; Kerns et al., 2004); and may additionally represent both the positive and negative value of candidate actions (Bush et al., 2002). Activity along the medial superior frontal gyrus has also been reported in situations in which experimental participants have to switch between actions sets (Rushworth et al., 2004).
