1
|
Soutschek A, Burke CJ, Kang P, Wieland N, Netzer N, Tobler PN. Neural Reward Representations Enable Utilitarian Welfare Maximization. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2376232024. [PMID: 38621996 PMCID: PMC11112638 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2376-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
From deciding which meal to prepare for our guests to trading off the proenvironmental effects of climate protection measures against their economic costs, we often must consider the consequences of our actions for the well-being of others (welfare). Vexingly, the tastes and views of others can vary widely. To maximize welfare according to the utilitarian philosophical tradition, decision-makers facing conflicting preferences of others should choose the option that maximizes the sum of the subjective value (utility) of the entire group. This notion requires comparing the intensities of preferences across individuals. However, it remains unclear whether such comparisons are possible at all and (if they are possible) how they might be implemented in the brain. Here, we show that female and male participants can both learn the preferences of others by observing their choices and represent these preferences on a common scale to make utilitarian welfare decisions. On the neural level, multivariate support vector regressions revealed that a distributed activity pattern in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), a brain region previously associated with reward processing, represented the preference strength of others. Strikingly, also the utilitarian welfare of others was represented in the VMPFC and relied on the same neural code as the estimated preferences of others. Together, our findings reveal that humans can behave as if they maximized utilitarian welfare using a specific utility representation and that the brain enables such choices by repurposing neural machinery processing the reward others receive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Soutschek
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
| | | | - Pyungwon Kang
- Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Nuri Wieland
- Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne 50668, Germany
| | - Nick Netzer
- Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Philippe N Tobler
- Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jansen M, Overgaauw S, de Bruijn ERA. L-DOPA and oxytocin influence the neural correlates of performance monitoring for self and others. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1079-1092. [PMID: 38286857 PMCID: PMC11031497 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06541-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE The ability to monitor the consequences of our actions for others is imperative for flexible and adaptive behavior, and allows us to act in a (pro)social manner. Yet, little is known about the neurochemical mechanisms underlying alterations in (pro)social performance monitoring. OBJECTIVE The aim of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to improve our understanding of the role of dopamine and oxytocin and their potential overlap in the neural mechanisms underlying performance monitoring for own versus others' outcomes. METHOD Using a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over design, 30 healthy male volunteers were administered oxytocin (24 international units), the dopamine precursor L-DOPA (100 mg + 25 mg carbidopa), or placebo in three sessions. Participants performed a computerized cannon shooting game in two recipient conditions where mistakes resulted in negative monetary consequences for (1) oneself or (2) an anonymous other participant. RESULTS Results indicated reduced error-correct differentiation in the ventral striatum after L-DOPA compared to placebo, independent of recipient. Hence, pharmacological manipulation of dopamine via L-DOPA modulated performance-monitoring activity in a brain region associated with reward prediction and processing in a domain-general manner. In contrast, oxytocin modulated the BOLD response in a recipient-specific manner, such that it specifically enhanced activity for errors that affected the other in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), a region previously implicated in the processing of social rewards and prediction errors. Behaviorally, we also found reduced target sizes-indicative of better performance-after oxytocin, regardless of recipient. Moreover, after oxytocin lower target sizes specifically predicted higher pgACC activity when performing for others. CONCLUSIONS These different behavioral and neural patterns after oxytocin compared to L-DOPA administration highlight a divergent role of each neurochemical in modulating the neural mechanisms underlying social performance monitoring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myrthe Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Sandy Overgaauw
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen R A de Bruijn
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhang H, Xiong G, Cai S, Wu S. A Causal Role of Right Temporoparietal Junction in Prosocial Learning: A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study. Neuroscience 2024; 538:59-67. [PMID: 38145822 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Prosocial behavior is a common and important aspect of everyday social life. To behave prosocially, we need to learn the consequences of our actions for other people, known as prosocial learning. Previous studies have identified the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) as the critical neurological substrate for prosocial behavior. However, little is known about the causal role of the rTPJ in prosocial learning. To clarify the role of the rTPJ in prosocial learning, we used a reinforcement learning paradigm and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). A total of 75 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to the anodal or sham tDCS group. While receiving tDCS stimulation over the rTPJ, participants were instructed to choose between different stimuli that were probabilistically associated with rewards for themselves in the self-learning condition or for another person in the prosocial-learning condition. Participants were able to learn to obtain rewards for themselves or others, and learning performance in the self-learning condition was better than that in the prosocial-learning condition. However, anodal tDCS over the rTPJ significantly improved learning performance in the prosocial-learning condition. These results indicate that the rTPJ plays a causal role in prosocial learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanqi Zhang
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science & Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guanxing Xiong
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science & Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Shenggang Cai
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science & Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shijing Wu
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science & Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen W, Xiao Z, Turel O, Zhang S, He Q. Sex-based differences in fairness norm compliance and neural circuitry. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae052. [PMID: 38383724 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Human behavior often aligns with fairness norms, either voluntarily or under external pressure, like sanctions. Prior research has identified distinct neural activation patterns associated with voluntary and sanction-based compliance or non-compliance with fairness norms. However, an investigation gap exists into potential neural connectivity patterns and sex-based differences. To address this, we conducted a study using a monetary allocation game and functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how neural activity and connectivity differ between sexes across three norm compliance conditions: voluntary, sanction-based, and voluntary post-sanctions. Fifty-five adults (27 females) participated, revealing that punishment influenced decisions, leading to strategic calculations and reduced generosity in voluntary compliance post-sanctions. Moreover, there were sex-based differences in neural activation and connectivity across the different compliance conditions. Specifically, the connectivity between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right dorsal anterior insular appeared to mediate intuitive preferences, with variations across norm compliance conditions and sexes. These findings imply potential sex-based differences in intuitive motivation for diverse norm compliance conditions. Our insights contribute to a better understanding of the neural pathways involved in fairness norm compliance and clarify sex-based differences, offering implications for future investigations into psychiatric and neurological disorders characterized by atypical socialization and mentalizing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wanting Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Lab of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhibing Xiao
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Lab of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Ofir Turel
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Shuyue Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Guangxi Normal University, 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Qinghua He
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Lab of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Psychology and Behavior of Discipline Inspection and Supervision (Sichuan Normal University), 1 Chenglong Road, First Section of South First Ring Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610066, China
- Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
McDonald B, Kanske P. Gender differences in empathy, compassion, and prosocial donations, but not theory of mind in a naturalistic social task. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20748. [PMID: 38007569 PMCID: PMC10676355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47747-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite broad interest, experimental evidence for gender differences in social abilities remains inconclusive. Two important factors may have limited previous results: (i) a lack of clear distinctions between empathy (sharing another's feelings), compassion (a feeling of concern toward others), and Theory of Mind (ToM; inferring others' mental states), and (ii) the absence of robust, naturalistic social tasks. Overcoming these limitations, in Study 1 (N = 295) we integrate three independent, previously published datasets, each using a dynamic and situated, video-based paradigm which disentangles ToM, empathy, and compassion, to examine gender differences in social abilities. We observed greater empathy and compassion in women compared to men, but found no evidence that either gender performed better in ToM. In Study 2 (n = 226) we extend this paradigm to allow participants to engage in prosocial donations. Along with replicating the findings of Study 1, we also observed greater prosocial donations in women compared to men. Additionally, we discuss an exploratory, novel finding, namely that ToM performance is positively associated with prosocial donations in women, but not men. Overall, these results emphasize the importance of establishing experimental designs that incorporate dynamic, complex stimuli to better capture the social realities that men and women experience in their daily lives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brennan McDonald
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Straße 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Straße 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhou SF, Li SJ, Zhao TS, Liu Y, Li CQ, Cui YH, Li F. Female rats prefer to forage food from males, an effect that is not influenced by stress. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114597. [PMID: 37487838 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
As social beings, animals and humans alike make real life decisions that are often influenced by other members. Most current research has focused on the influence of same-sex peers on individual decision-making, with potential opposite sex effect scarcely explored. Here, we developed a behavioral model to observe food foraging decision-making in female rats under various social situations. We found that female rats preferred to forage food from male over female rats or from the no-rat storage side. Female rats were more likely to forage food from familiar males than from unfamiliar. This opposite-sex preference was not altered by the lure of sweet food, or with estrous cycle, nor under stress conditions. These results suggest that the opposite sex influences food foraging decision-making in female rats. The behavioral model established could facilitate future investigation into the underlying neurobiological mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Fen Zhou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Song-Ji Li
- The International-Joint Lab for Non-invasive Neural Modulation/Key Laboratory for the Brain Research of Henan Province, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan Province, China
| | - Tian-Shu Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Chang-Qi Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yan-Hui Cui
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nordio G, Easmin R, Giacomel A, Dipasquale O, Martins D, Williams S, Turkheimer F, Howes O, Veronese M, Jauhar S, Rogdaki M, McCutcheon R, Kaar S, Vano L, Rutigliano G, Angelescu I, Borgan F, D’Ambrosio E, Dahoun T, Kim E, Kim S, Bloomfield M, Egerton A, Demjaha A, Bonoldi I, Nosarti C, Maccabe J, McGuire P, Matthews J, Talbot PS. An automatic analysis framework for FDOPA PET neuroimaging. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023; 43:1285-1300. [PMID: 37026455 PMCID: PMC10369152 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x231168687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study we evaluate the performance of a fully automated analytical framework for FDOPA PET neuroimaging data, and its sensitivity to demographic and experimental variables and processing parameters. An instance of XNAT imaging platform was used to store the King's College London institutional brain FDOPA PET imaging archive, alongside individual demographics and clinical information. By re-engineering the historical Matlab-based scripts for FDOPA PET analysis, a fully automated analysis pipeline for imaging processing and data quantification was implemented in Python and integrated in XNAT. The final data repository includes 892 FDOPA PET scans organized from 23 different studies. We found good reproducibility of the data analysis by the automated pipeline (in the striatum for the Kicer: for the controls ICC = 0.71, for the psychotic patients ICC = 0.88). From the demographic and experimental variables assessed, gender was found to most influence striatal dopamine synthesis capacity (F = 10.7, p < 0.001), with women showing greater dopamine synthesis capacity than men. Our automated analysis pipeline represents a valid resourse for standardised and robust quantification of dopamine synthesis capacity using FDOPA PET data. Combining information from different neuroimaging studies has allowed us to test it comprehensively and to validate its replicability and reproducibility performances on a large sample size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Nordio
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Rubaida Easmin
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Alessio Giacomel
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Ottavia Dipasquale
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Steven Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Information Engineering (DEI), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - and the FDOPA PET imaging working group:
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
- Department of Information Engineering (DEI), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- COMPASS Pathways plc, London, UK
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College of London, London, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neurosicences, King’s College London, London, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
- Early Intervention Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Maria Rogdaki
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Robert McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Stephen Kaar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Luke Vano
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Grazia Rutigliano
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ilinca Angelescu
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Faith Borgan
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- COMPASS Pathways plc, London, UK
| | - Enrico D’Ambrosio
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Tarik Dahoun
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Euitae Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seoyoung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Micheal Bloomfield
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College of London, London, UK
| | - Alice Egerton
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Arsime Demjaha
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Ilaria Bonoldi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Chiara Nosarti
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neurosicences, King’s College London, London, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - James Maccabe
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Philip McGuire
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Early Intervention Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Julian Matthews
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Peter S Talbot
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kwon M, Lee SH, Ahn WY. Adaptive Design Optimization as a Promising Tool for Reliable and Efficient Computational Fingerprinting. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:798-804. [PMID: 36805245 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A key challenge in understanding mental (dys)functions is their etiological and functional heterogeneity, and several multidimensional assessments have been proposed for their comprehensive characterization. However, such assessments require lengthy testing, which may hinder reliable and efficient characterization of individual differences due to increased fatigue and distraction, especially in clinical populations. Computational modeling may address this challenge as it often provides more reliable measures of latent neurocognitive processes underlying observed behaviors and captures individual differences better than traditional assessments. However, even with a state-of-the-art hierarchical modeling approach, reliable estimation of model parameters still requires a large number of trials. Recent work suggests that Bayesian adaptive design optimization (ADO) is a promising way to address these challenges. With ADO, experimental design is optimized adaptively from trial to trial to extract the maximum amount of information about an individual's characteristics. In this review, we first describe the ADO methodology and then summarize recent work demonstrating that ADO increases the reliability and efficiency of latent neurocognitive measures. We conclude by discussing the challenges and future directions of ADO and proposing development of ADO-based computational fingerprints to reliably and efficiently characterize the heterogeneous profiles of psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mina Kwon
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sang Ho Lee
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Woo-Young Ahn
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Rhoads SA, O'Connell K, Berluti K, Ploe ML, Elizabeth HS, Amormino P, Li JL, Dutton MA, VanMeter AS, Marsh AA. Neural responses underlying extraordinary altruists' generosity for socially distant others. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad199. [PMID: 37416875 PMCID: PMC10321390 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Most people are much less generous toward strangers than close others, a bias termed social discounting. But people who engage in extraordinary real-world altruism, like altruistic kidney donors, show dramatically reduced social discounting. Why they do so is unclear. Some prior research suggests reduced social discounting requires effortfully overcoming selfishness via recruitment of the temporoparietal junction. Alternatively, reduced social discounting may reflect genuinely valuing strangers' welfare more due to how the subjective value of their outcomes is encoded in regions such as rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala. We tested both hypotheses in this pre-registered study. We also tested the hypothesis that a loving-kindness meditation (LKM) training intervention would cause typical adults' neural and behavioral patterns to resemble altruists. Altruists and matched controls (N = 77) completed a social discounting task during functional magnetic resonance imaging; 25 controls were randomized to complete LKM training. Neither behavioral nor imaging analyses supported the hypothesis that altruists' reduced social discounting reflects effortfully overcoming selfishness. Instead, group differences emerged in social value encoding regions, including rostral ACC and amygdala. Activation in these regions corresponded to the subjective valuation of others' welfare predicted by the social discounting model. LKM training did not result in more generous behavioral or neural patterns, but only greater perceived difficulty during social discounting. Our results indicate extraordinary altruists' generosity results from the way regions involved in social decision-making encode the subjective value of others' welfare. Interventions aimed at promoting generosity may thus succeed to the degree they can increase the subjective valuation of others' welfare.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn A Rhoads
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Katherine O'Connell
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Kathryn Berluti
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Montana L Ploe
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Hannah S Elizabeth
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Paige Amormino
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Joanna L Li
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Mary Ann Dutton
- Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Ashley Skye VanMeter
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Abigail A Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Jansen M, Lockwood PL, Cutler J, de Bruijn ERA. l-DOPA and oxytocin influence the neurocomputational mechanisms of self-benefitting and prosocial reinforcement learning. Neuroimage 2023; 270:119983. [PMID: 36848972 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans learn through reinforcement, particularly when outcomes are unexpected. Recent research suggests similar mechanisms drive how we learn to benefit other people, that is, how we learn to be prosocial. Yet the neurochemical mechanisms underlying such prosocial computations remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether pharmacological manipulation of oxytocin and dopamine influence the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying self-benefitting and prosocial reinforcement learning. Using a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over design, we administered intranasal oxytocin (24 IU), dopamine precursor l-DOPA (100 mg + 25 mg carbidopa), or placebo over three sessions. Participants performed a probabilistic reinforcement learning task with potential rewards for themselves, another participant, or no one, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Computational models of reinforcement learning were used to calculate prediction errors (PEs) and learning rates. Participants behavior was best explained by a model with different learning rates for each recipient, but these were unaffected by either drug. On the neural level, however, both drugs blunted PE signaling in the ventral striatum and led to negative signaling of PEs in the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal gyrus, and precentral gyrus, compared to placebo, and regardless of recipient. Oxytocin (versus placebo) administration was additionally associated with opposing tracking of self-benefitting versus prosocial PEs in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula and superior temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that both l-DOPA and oxytocin induce a context-independent shift from positive towards negative tracking of PEs during learning. Moreover, oxytocin may have opposing effects on PE signaling when learning to benefit oneself versus another.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myrthe Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Jo Cutler
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Ellen R A de Bruijn
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Cardoso Melo RD, Schreuder MJ, Groen RN, Sarsembayeva D, Hartman CA. Reward sensitivity across the lifespan in males and females and its associations with psychopathology. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.112041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
12
|
Soutschek A, Tobler PN. A process model account of the role of dopamine in intertemporal choice. eLife 2023; 12:83734. [PMID: 36884013 PMCID: PMC9995109 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical accounts disagree on the role of dopamine in intertemporal choice and assume that dopamine either promotes delay of gratification by increasing the preference for larger rewards or that dopamine reduces patience by enhancing the sensitivity to waiting costs. Here, we reconcile these conflicting accounts by providing empirical support for a novel process model according to which dopamine contributes to two dissociable components of the decision process, evidence accumulation and starting bias. We re-analyzed a previously published data set where intertemporal decisions were made either under the D2 antagonist amisulpride or under placebo by fitting a hierarchical drift diffusion model that distinguishes between dopaminergic effects on the speed of evidence accumulation and the starting point of the accumulation process. Blocking dopaminergic neurotransmission not only strengthened the sensitivity to whether a reward is perceived as worth the delay costs during evidence accumulation (drift rate) but also attenuated the impact of waiting costs on the starting point of the evidence accumulation process (bias). In contrast, re-analyzing data from a D1 agonist study provided no evidence for a causal involvement of D1R activation in intertemporal choices. Taken together, our findings support a novel, process-based account of the role of dopamine for cost-benefit decision making, highlight the potential benefits of process-informed analyses, and advance our understanding of dopaminergic contributions to decision making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Philippe N Tobler
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
“Wait and See”: Effects of Matching Visual Stimulation on Impulsive Behavior during an Adaptation of Flora et al.’s (1992) Choice Task. PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s40732-023-00536-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
|
14
|
He X, Hu J, Qi Y, Turel O, Bechara A, He Q. Sex modulates the effect of HD-tDCS over the prefrontal cortex on the Iowa Gambling Task. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:415-417. [PMID: 36731772 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.01.1675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu He
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiawen Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yawei Qi
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ofir Turel
- Computing Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychology, and Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Antoine Bechara
- Department of Psychology, and Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Qinghua He
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Chongqing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wu S, Cai S, Dong Z, Zhang H. Distinct role of the right temporoparietal junction in advantageous and disadvantageous inequity: A tDCS study. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1047593. [PMID: 36744103 PMCID: PMC9892459 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1047593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Fairness is a hallmark of humans' ability to maintain cooperative relationships with large numbers of unrelated others. It influences many aspects of daily life, from how people share their resources with partners to how policymakers shape income distribution policy. The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a hub of the mentalizing network and it has been proposed to play a key role in guiding human reciprocal behavior; however, its precise functional contribution to fair behavior in situations of advantageous and disadvantageous inequity remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of the rTPJ in relation to fair behavior in situations of advantageous and disadvantageous inequity by modulating the activation of the rTPJ through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Anodal tDCS at 1.5 mA over the primary visual cortex (VC) or rTPJ was performed and participants subsequently played a binary-choice version of the Dictator Game. We found that anodal tDCS over the rTPJ increased the participants' equity choices in the disadvantageous inequity situation but not in the advantageous inequity situation. The tDCS effect is moderated by sex and, in particular, the tDCS effect increases female equity choices. The results suggest that the rTPJ plays a distinct role in inequity aversion in these two types of inequity situations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Wu
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shenggang Cai
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Dong
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Zhiqiang Dong ✉
| | - Hanqi Zhang
- School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Key Lab for Behavioral Economic Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Hanqi Zhang ✉
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Christian P, Soutschek A. Causal role of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for norm-guided social decision making: A meta-analysis of TMS studies. Neuropsychologia 2022; 176:108393. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
17
|
Caldas IFR, Paim IDM, Leite KTF, de Mello Junior HD, Bataglia PUR, Martins RA, Pereira A. Out of sight out of mind: Psychological distance and opinion about the age of penal majority. Front Psychol 2022; 13:763335. [PMID: 36186326 PMCID: PMC9521616 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.763335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth of urban violence in Brazil, as in other countries, has led citizens to demand more severe and punitive measures to solve the problem of juvenile crime. One motion submitted to the Brazilian parliament, for instance, proposes to reduce the age of penal majority (APM) from 18 to 16 years. Our hypothesis is that popular opinions about this proposal are largely constrained by construal levels and psychological distance. Accordingly, we expect that the knowledge and proximity to the circumstances associated with juvenile transgression will influence opinions about the proposal. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated how opinion against or for the proposal can be explained by psychological distance and moral development theory. We studied two samples, composed of people who do not have a deep experience with the subject (passersby in a public square (N = 77) and workers from a juvenile justice court (N = 157). After collecting socio-demographic information from the subjects and their answer to moral dilemmas, the data was subjected to a multivariate analysis by multimodal logistic regression for socio-demographic characteristics, Kohlberg moral stages, and opinion on the reduction of APM (agree, indifferent, and disagree) as dependent variables. Our findings suggest that 1) opinion about the APM depends on psychological distance and 2) socioeconomic variables may influence the average construal level of adolescent transgressors in the public’s perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Igor de Moraes Paim
- Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Ceará, Maranguape, Brazil
| | - Karla Tereza Figueiredo Leite
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Harold Dias de Mello Junior
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Raul Aragão Martins
- Department of Education, Paulista State University, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Antonio Pereira
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Belem, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Antonio Pereira,
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Martín-Pérez C, Vergara-Moragues E, Fernández-Muñoz JJ, García-González JM, García-Moreno LM. Reward sensitivity and hazardous alcohol consumption in women: The parallel mediation effect of self-control and impulsivity traits. Subst Abus 2022; 43:1333-1340. [PMID: 36036761 DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2021.1941522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Little research has been carried out on the associations between several individual factors and hazardous alcohol use in women. The aim of this study was first, to study the relationship between reward sensitivity (RS) and alcohol use in both women with and without hazardous drinking separately. Second, to explore the potential mediating roles of the impulsivity and self-control traits in this relationship. Method: The study was analytical and cross-sectional and included 645 female participants (mean age = 19.14; standard deviation (SD)=1.60). All women were divided into two groups (286, 44.3%, with hazardous drinking, HDW; and 359, 55.7%, with light drinking, LDW). Correlation analyses were carried out to explore the associations between the variables, and parallel mediation analyses were performed to investigate the potential mediating roles of impulsivity and self-control in the RS-alcohol use associations in each group separately. Results: A significant association was observed between RS and alcohol use in HDW, contrary to that observed in their counterparts. In addition, both higher impulsivity and less self-control mediated the association between RS and alcohol use only in HDW. Conclusions: Impulsivity and self-control differently affect alcohol use under the condition of high reward sensitivity, only in HDW, suggesting alterations of the dual top-down and bottom-up mechanisms and a possible imbalance between the competing reflexive and impulsive brain systems. More research is needed regarding the individual factors that affect women's drinking to develop sensitive measures for the assessment of alcohol use and more efficient interventions for women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Martín-Pérez
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology in Behavioral Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain.,Faculty of Education, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR), Logroño, Spain
| | - Esperanza Vergara-Moragues
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology in Behavioral Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan José Fernández-Muñoz
- Area of Methodology of Behavioral Sciences. Faculty of Health Sciences, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Luis Miguel García-Moreno
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology in Behavioral Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Gender and Public Perception of Disasters: A Multiple Hazards Exploratory Study of EU Citizens. SAFETY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/safety8030059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim: To explore gender influence on individual risk perception of multiple hazards and personal attitudes towards disaster preparedness across EU citizens. Method: An online survey was distributed to 2485 participants from Spain, France, Poland, Sweden and Italy. The survey was divided into two parts. The first part examined perceived likelihood (L), perceived personal impact (I) and perceived self-efficacy (E) towards disasters due to extreme weather conditions (flood, landslide and storm), fire, earthquake, hazardous materials accidents, and terrorist attacks. The overall risk rating for each specific hazard was measured through the following equation R = (L × I)/E and the resulting scores were brought into the range between 0 and 1. The second part explored people’s reactions to the Pros and Cons of preparedness to compute the overall attitudes of respondents towards preparation (expressed as a ratio between −1 and 1). Results: Although we found gender variations on concerns expressed as the likelihood of the occurrence, personal consequences and self-efficacy, the overall risks were judged significantly higher by females in all hazards (p < 0.01). We also found that, in general, most respondents (both males and females) were in favour of preparedness. More importantly, despite the gender differences in risk perception, there were no significant differences in the attitudes towards preparedness. We found weak correlations between risks perceived and attitudes towards preparedness (rho < 0.20). The intersectional analysis showed that young and adult females perceived higher risks than their gender counterparts at the same age. There were also gender differences in preparedness, i.e., females in higher age ranges are more motivated for preparedness than men in lower age ranges. We also found that risk perception for all hazards in females was significantly higher than in males at the same education level. We found no significant differences between sub-groups in the pros and cons of getting ready for disasters. However, females at a higher level of education have more positive attitudes towards preparedness. Conclusions: This study suggests that gender along with other intersecting factors (e.g., age and education) still shape differences in risk perception and attitudes towards disasters across the EU population. Overall, the presented results policy actions focus on promoting specific DRR policies and practices (bottom-up participatory and learning processes) through interventions oriented to specific target groups from a gender perspective.
Collapse
|
20
|
Variations in progesterone and estradiol across the menstrual cycle predict generosity toward socially close others. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 140:105720. [PMID: 35305405 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The human tendency to share goods with others at personal costs declines across the perceived social distance to them, an observation termed social discounting. Cumulating evidence suggests that social preferences are influenced by the agent's neurohormonal state. Here we tested whether endogenous fluctuations in steroid hormone compositions across the menstrual cycle were associated with differences in generosity in a social discounting task. Adult healthy, normally-cycling, women made incentivized decisions between high selfish rewards for themselves and lower generous rewards for themselves but also for other individuals at variable social distances from their social environment. We determined participants' current levels of menstrual-cycle-dependent steroid hormones via salivary sampling. Results revealed that the increase in progesterone levels as well as the decrease in estradiol levels, but not changes in testosterone or cortisol, across the menstrual cycle, accounted for increased generosity specifically toward socially close others, but not toward remote strangers.
Collapse
|
21
|
Dennison JB, Sazhin D, Smith DV. Decision neuroscience and neuroeconomics: Recent progress and ongoing challenges. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2022; 13:e1589. [PMID: 35137549 PMCID: PMC9124684 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In the past decade, decision neuroscience and neuroeconomics have developed many new insights in the study of decision making. This review provides an overarching update on how the field has advanced in this time period. Although our initial review a decade ago outlined several theoretical, conceptual, methodological, empirical, and practical challenges, there has only been limited progress in resolving these challenges. We summarize significant trends in decision neuroscience through the lens of the challenges outlined for the field and review examples where the field has had significant, direct, and applicable impacts across economics and psychology. First, we review progress on topics including reward learning, explore-exploit decisions, risk and ambiguity, intertemporal choice, and valuation. Next, we assess the impacts of emotion, social rewards, and social context on decision making. Then, we follow up with how individual differences impact choices and new exciting developments in the prediction and neuroforecasting of future decisions. Finally, we consider how trends in decision-neuroscience research reflect progress toward resolving past challenges, discuss new and exciting applications of recent research, and identify new challenges for the field. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making Psychology > Emotion and Motivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Dennison
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel Sazhin
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David V Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Soutschek A, Jetter A, Tobler PN. Towards a Unifying Account of Dopamine’s Role in Cost-Benefit Decision Making. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 3:179-186. [PMID: 37124350 PMCID: PMC10140448 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine is thought to play a crucial role in cost-benefit decision making, but so far there is no consensus on the precise role of dopamine in decision making. Here, we review the literature on dopaminergic manipulations of cost-benefit decision making in humans and evaluate how well different theoretical accounts explain the existing body of evidence. Reduced D2 stimulation tends to increase the willingness to bear delay and risk costs (i.e., wait for later rewards, take riskier options), while increased D1 and D2 receptor stimulation increases willingness to bear effort costs. We argue that the empirical findings can best be explained by combining the strengths of two theoretical accounts: in cost-benefit decision making, dopamine may play a dual role both in promoting the pursuit of psychologically close options (e.g., sooner and safer rewards) and in computing which costs are acceptable for a reward at stake. Moreover, we identify several limiting factors in the study designs of previous investigations that prevented a fuller understanding of dopamine's role in value-based choice. Together, the proposed theoretical framework and the methodological suggestions for future studies may bring us closer to a unifying account of dopamine in healthy and impaired cost-benefit decision making.
Collapse
|
23
|
Chan SY, Ong ZY, Ngoh ZM, Chong YS, Zhou JH, Fortier MV, Daniel LM, Qiu A, Meaney MJ, Tan AP. Structure-function coupling within the reward network in preschool children predicts executive functioning in later childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 55:101107. [PMID: 35413663 PMCID: PMC9010704 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early differences in reward behavior have been linked to executive functioning development. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are activated by reward-related tasks and identified as key nodes of the brain circuit that underlie reward processing. We aimed to investigate the relation between NAc-OFC structural and functional connectivity in preschool children, as well as associations with future reward sensitivity and executive function. We showed that NAc-OFC structural and functional connectivity were not significantly associated in preschool children, but both independently predicted sensitivity to reward in males in a left-lateralized manner. Moreover, significant NAc-OFC structure-function coupling was only found in individuals who performed poorly on executive function tasks in later childhood, but not in the middle- and high-performing groups. As structure-function coupling is proposed to measure functional specialization, this finding suggests premature functional specialization within the reward network, which may impede dynamic communication with other regions, affects executive function development. Our study also highlights the utility of multimodal imaging data integration when studying the effects of reward network functional flexibility in the preschool age, a critical period in brain and executive function development. Functional connectivity is not tethered to structural connectivity in preschool age. Higher degree of SC-FC coupling reflects lower plasticity in early childhood. Gender differences in reward sensitivity were present as early as in preschool age. Early reward network SC-FC coupling affects later executive function.
Collapse
|
24
|
Levinson AR, Szenczy A, Nelson BD, Hajcak G, Bernard K. A biomarker of maternal vicarious reward processing and its association with parenting behavior. Biol Psychol 2022; 167:108240. [PMID: 34875364 PMCID: PMC10575693 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Parenting styles play a critical role in child well-being, yet the neural bases of parenting behaviors remain nebulous. Understanding the neural processes associated with parenting styles can both clarify etiological mechanisms underlying parenting behaviors and point us toward new targets for intervention. A novel electrocortical biomarker called the observational reward positivity (oRewP) that occurs in response to observing another receive a reward has been linked to self-reported authoritarian parenting behavior. The current study sought to replicate associations between the oRewP and self-reported and observationally-coded parenting in a sample of mothers selected to be at elevated risk for problematic parenting. Self-reported authoritarian parenting was associated with observationally-coded problematic discipline, while no other self-reported parenting scales were associated with observationally-coded scores. We replicated the previously reported association between a blunted oRewP and increased self-reported authoritarian parenting. We additionally found that an attenuated oRewP was associated with greater permissive parenting, and that only the relationship with permissive parenting was conserved after adjusting for other parenting styles and other relevant covariates. We did not find significant associations between the oRewP and observationally-coded parenting. The current findings suggest that the neural process indexed by the oRewP are relevant to parenting behavior. Further research is needed to better understand the discrepancy between self-reported and observed parenting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Levinson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Aline Szenczy
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Kristin Bernard
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Rabin RA, Mackey S, Parvaz MA, Cousijn J, Li C, Pearlson G, Schmaal L, Sinha R, Stein E, Veltman D, Thompson PM, Conrod P, Garavan H, Alia‐Klein N, Goldstein RZ. Common and gender-specific associations with cocaine use on gray matter volume: Data from the ENIGMA addiction working group. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:543-554. [PMID: 32857473 PMCID: PMC8675419 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Gray matter volume (GMV) in frontal cortical and limbic regions is susceptible to cocaine-associated reductions in cocaine-dependent individuals (CD) and is negatively associated with duration of cocaine use. Gender differences in CD individuals have been reported clinically and in the context of neural responses to cue-induced craving and stress reactivity. The variability of GMV in select brain areas between men and women (e.g., limbic regions) underscores the importance of exploring interaction effects between gender and cocaine dependence on brain structure. Therefore, voxel-based morphometry data derived from the ENIGMA Addiction Consortium were used to investigate potential gender differences in GMV in CD individuals compared to matched controls (CTL). T1-weighted MRI scans and clinical data were pooled from seven sites yielding 420 gender- and age-matched participants: CD men (CDM, n = 140); CD women (CDW, n = 70); control men (CTLM, n = 140); and control women (CTLW, n = 70). Differences in GMV were assessed using a 2 × 2 ANCOVA, and voxelwise whole-brain linear regressions were conducted to explore relationships between GMV and duration of cocaine use. All analyses were corrected for age, total intracranial volume, and site. Diagnostic differences were predominantly found in frontal regions (CD < CTL). Interestingly, gender × diagnosis interactions in the left anterior insula and left lingual gyrus were also documented, driven by differences in women (CDW < CTLW). Further, lower right hippocampal GMV was associated with greater cocaine duration in CDM. Given the importance of the anterior insula to interoception and the hippocampus to learning contextual associations, results may point to gender-specific mechanisms in cocaine addiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A. Rabin
- Department of PsychiatryIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Scott Mackey
- Departments of Psychiatry and PsychologyUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
| | - Muhammad A. Parvaz
- Department of PsychiatryIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeuroscienceIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Janna Cousijn
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Chiang‐shan Li
- Department of PsychiatryYale University School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Godfrey Pearlson
- Department of PsychiatryYale University School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Lianne Schmaal
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Australia and Centre for Youth Mental HealthThe University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of PsychiatryYale University School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Elliot Stein
- Intramural Research Program—Neuroimaging Research BranchNational Institute on Drug AbuseBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Dick Veltman
- Department of PsychiatryVU University Medical CenterAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Department of Neurology Keck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Patricia Conrod
- Department of PsychiatryUniversité de Montreal, CHU Ste Justine HospitalMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Departments of Psychiatry and PsychologyUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
| | - Nelly Alia‐Klein
- Department of PsychiatryIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeuroscienceIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Rita Z. Goldstein
- Department of PsychiatryIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeuroscienceIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Functional Connectivity Basis and Underlying Cognitive Mechanisms for Gender Differences in Guilt Aversion. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0226-21.2021. [PMID: 34819311 PMCID: PMC8675089 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0226-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosocial behavior is pivotal to our society. Guilt aversion, which describes the tendency to reduce the discrepancy between a partner's expectation and his/her actual outcome, drives human prosocial behavior as does well-known inequity aversion. Although women are reported to be more inequity averse than men, gender differences in guilt aversion remain unexplored. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (n = 52) and a large-scale online behavioral study (n = 4723) of a trust game designed to investigate guilt and inequity aversions. The fMRI study demonstrated that men exhibited stronger guilt aversion and recruited right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) connectivity more for guilt aversion than women, while VMPFC-dorsal medial PFC (DMPFC) connectivity was commonly used in both genders. Furthermore, our regression analysis of the online behavioral data collected with Big Five and demographic factors replicated the gender differences and revealed that Big Five Conscientiousness (rule-based decision) correlated with guilt aversion only in men, but Agreeableness (empathetic consideration) correlated with guilt aversion in both genders. Thus, this study suggests that gender differences in prosocial behavior are heterogeneous depending on underlying motives in the brain and that the consideration of social norms plays a key role in the stronger guilt aversion in men.
Collapse
|
27
|
Soutschek A, Weber SC, Kahnt T, Quednow BB, Tobler PN. Opioid antagonism modulates wanting-related frontostriatal connectivity. eLife 2021; 10:71077. [PMID: 34761749 PMCID: PMC8598157 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical accounts distinguish between motivational (‘wanting’) and hedonic (‘liking’) dimensions of rewards. Previous animal and human research linked wanting and liking to anatomically and neurochemically distinct brain mechanisms, but it remains unknown how the different brain regions and neurotransmitter systems interact in processing distinct reward dimensions. Here, we assessed how pharmacological manipulations of opioid and dopamine receptor activation modulate the neural processing of wanting and liking in humans in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Reducing opioid receptor activation with naltrexone selectively reduced wanting of rewards, which on a neural level was reflected by stronger coupling between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the striatum under naltrexone compared with placebo. In contrast, reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission with amisulpride revealed no robust effects on behavior or neural activity. Our findings thus provide insights into how opioid receptors mediate neural connectivity related to specifically motivational, not hedonic, aspects of rewards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Susanna C Weber
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thorsten Kahnt
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, United States
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Philippe N Tobler
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gross J, Faber NS, Kappes A, Nussberger AM, Cowen PJ, Browning M, Kahane G, Savulescu J, Crockett MJ, De Dreu CK. When Helping Is Risky: The Behavioral and Neurobiological Trade-off of Social and Risk Preferences. Psychol Sci 2021; 32:1842-1855. [PMID: 34705578 PMCID: PMC7614101 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211015942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Helping other people can entail risks for the helper. For example, when treating infectious patients, medical volunteers risk their own health. In such situations, decisions to help should depend on the individual's valuation of others' well-being (social preferences) and the degree of personal risk the individual finds acceptable (risk preferences). We investigated how these distinct preferences are psychologically and neurobiologically integrated when helping is risky. We used incentivized decision-making tasks (Study 1; N = 292 adults) and manipulated dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain by administering methylphenidate, atomoxetine, or a placebo (Study 2; N = 154 adults). We found that social and risk preferences are independent drivers of risky helping. Methylphenidate increased risky helping by selectively altering risk preferences rather than social preferences. Atomoxetine influenced neither risk preferences nor social preferences and did not affect risky helping. This suggests that methylphenidate-altered dopamine concentrations affect helping decisions that entail a risk to the helper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Gross
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University,Corresponding author: Jörg Gross, Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2300 RB Leiden, , +31 71 527 2727
| | - Nadira S. Faber
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter,Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
| | | | | | - Philip J Cowen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford
| | - Michael Browning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford
| | - Guy Kahane
- Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
| | | | | | - Carsten K.W. De Dreu
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University,Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making (CREED), University of Amsterdam
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Hahn A, Reed MB, Pichler V, Michenthaler P, Rischka L, Godbersen GM, Wadsak W, Hacker M, Lanzenberger R. Functional dynamics of dopamine synthesis during monetary reward and punishment processing. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2021; 41:2973-2985. [PMID: 34053336 PMCID: PMC8543667 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x211019827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of dopamine release with the PET competition model is thoroughly validated but entails disadvantages for the investigation of cognitive processes. We introduce a novel approach incorporating 6-[18F]FDOPA uptake as index of the dynamic regulation of dopamine synthesis enzymes by neuronal firing. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by assessing widely described sex differences in dopamine neurotransmission. Reward processing was behaviorally investigated in 36 healthy participants, of whom 16 completed fPET and fMRI during the monetary incentive delay task. A single 50 min fPET acquisition with 6-[18F]FDOPA served to quantify task-specific changes in dopamine synthesis. In men monetary gain induced stronger increases in ventral striatum dopamine synthesis than loss. Interestingly, the opposite effect was discovered in women. These changes were further associated with reward (men) and punishment sensitivity (women). As expected, fMRI showed robust task-specific neuronal activation but no sex difference. Our findings provide a neurobiological basis for known behavioral sex differences in reward and punishment processing, with important implications in psychiatric disorders showing sex-specific prevalence, altered reward processing and dopamine signaling. The high temporal resolution and magnitude of task-specific changes make fPET a promising tool to investigate functional neurotransmitter dynamics during cognitive processing and in brain disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Murray B Reed
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Verena Pichler
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paul Michenthaler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucas Rischka
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Godber M Godbersen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Wadsak
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine (CBmed), Graz, Austria
| | - Marcus Hacker
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rupert Lanzenberger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Bolt E, Ho JT, Roel Lesur M, Soutschek A, Tobler PN, Lenggenhager B. Effects of a virtual gender swap on social and temporal decision-making. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15376. [PMID: 34321591 PMCID: PMC8319130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94869-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mounting evidence has demonstrated that embodied virtual reality, during which physical bodies are replaced with virtual surrogates, can strongly alter cognition and behavior even when the virtual body radically differs from one's own. One particular emergent area of interest is the investigation of how virtual gender swaps can influence choice behaviors. Economic decision-making paradigms have repeatedly shown that women tend to display more prosocial sharing choices than men. To examine whether a virtual gender swap can alter gender-specific differences in prosociality, 48 men and 51 women embodied either a same- or different-gender avatar in immersive virtual reality. In a between-subjects design, we differentiated between specifically social and non-social decision-making by means of a virtually administered interpersonal and intertemporal discounting task, respectively. We hypothesized that a virtual gender swap would elicit social behaviors that stereotypically align with the gender of the avatar. To relate potential effects to changes in self-perception, we also measured implicit and explicit identification with gendered (or gender-typical) traits prior to and following the virtual experience, and used questionnaires that assessed the strength of the illusion. Contrary to our hypothesis, our results show that participants made less prosocial decisions (i.e., became more selfish) in different-gender avatars, independent of their own biological sex. Moreover, women embodying a male avatar in particular were more sensitive to temptations of immediate rewards. Lastly, the manipulation had no effects on implicit and explicit identification with gendered traits. To conclude, while we showed that a virtual gender swap indeed alters decision-making, gender-based expectancies cannot account for all the task-specific interpersonal and intertemporal changes following the virtual gender swap.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Bolt
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology with Focus on Body, Self, and Plasticity, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 9, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jasmine T Ho
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology with Focus on Body, Self, and Plasticity, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 9, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marte Roel Lesur
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology with Focus on Body, Self, and Plasticity, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 9, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Philippe N Tobler
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bigna Lenggenhager
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology with Focus on Body, Self, and Plasticity, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 9, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Terenzi D, Liu L, Bellucci G, Park SQ. Determinants and modulators of human social decisions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:383-393. [PMID: 34216653 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Social decision making is a highly complex process that involves diverse cognitive mechanisms, and it is driven by the precise processing of information from both the environment and from the internal state. On the one hand, successful social decisions require close monitoring of others' behavior, in order to track their intentions; this can guide not only decisions involving other people, but also one's own choices and preferences. On the other hand, internal states such as own reward or changes in hormonal and neurotransmitter states shape social decisions and their underlying neural function. Here, we review the current literature on modulators and determinants of human social decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Terenzi
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetes, Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Lu Liu
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetes, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Gabriele Bellucci
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen, Germany
| | - Soyoung Q Park
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetes, Neuherberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Anthropological Prosociality via Sub-Group Level Selection. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2021; 56:180-205. [PMID: 33893612 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-021-09606-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A perennial challenge of evolutionary psychology is explaining prosocial traits such as a preference for fairness rather than inequality, compassion towards suffering, and an instinctive ability to coordinate within small teams. Considering recent fossil evidence and a novel logical test, we deem present explanations insufficiently explanatory of the divergence of hominins. In answering this question, we focus on the divergence of hominins from the last common ancestor (LCA) shared with Pan. We consider recent fossil discoveries that indicate the LCA was bipedal, which reduces the cogency of this explanation for hominin development. We also review evolutionary theory that claims to explain how hominins developed into modern humans, however it is found that no mechanism differentiates hominins from other primates. Either the mechanism was available to the last common ancestor (LCA) (with P. troglodytes as its proxy), or because early hominins had insufficient cognition to utilise the mechanism. A novel mechanism, sub-group level selection (sGLS) is hypothesised by triangulating two pieces of data rarely considered by evolutionary biologists. These are behavioural dimorphism of Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos) that remain identifiable in modern humans, and the social behaviour of primate troops in a savannah ecology. We then contend that sGLS supplied an exponential effect which was available to LCA who left the forest, but was not sufficiently available to any other primates. In conclusion, while only indirectly supported by various evidence, sGLS is found to be singularly and persuasively explanatory of human's unique evolutionary story.
Collapse
|
33
|
Konovalov A, Ruff CC. Enhancing models of social and strategic decision making with process tracing and neural data. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2021; 13:e1559. [PMID: 33880846 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Every decision we take is accompanied by a characteristic pattern of response delay, gaze position, pupil dilation, and neural activity. Nevertheless, many models of social decision making neglect the corresponding process tracing data and focus exclusively on the final choice outcome. Here, we argue that this is a mistake, as the use of process data can help to build better models of human behavior, create better experiments, and improve policy interventions. Specifically, such data allow us to unlock the "black box" of the decision process and evaluate the mechanisms underlying our social choices. Using these data, we can directly validate latent model variables, arbitrate between competing personal motives, and capture information processing strategies. These benefits are especially valuable in social science, where models must predict multi-faceted decisions that are taken in varying contexts and are based on many different types of information. This article is categorized under: Economics > Interactive Decision-Making Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arkady Konovalov
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Kapetaniou GE, Reinhard MA, Christian P, Jobst A, Tobler PN, Padberg F, Soutschek A. The role of oxytocin in delay of gratification and flexibility in non-social decision making. eLife 2021; 10:e61844. [PMID: 33821797 PMCID: PMC8024008 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin is well-known for its impact on social cognition. This specificity for the social domain, however, has been challenged by findings suggesting a domain-general allostatic function for oxytocin by promoting future-oriented and flexible behavior. In this pre-registered study, we tested the hypothesized domain-general function of oxytocin by assessing the impact of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) on core aspects of human social (inequity aversion) and non-social decision making (delay of gratification and cognitive flexibility) in 49 healthy volunteers (within-subject design). In intertemporal choice, patience was higher under oxytocin than under placebo, although this difference was evident only when restricting the analysis to the first experimental session (between-group comparison) due to carry-over effects. Further, oxytocin increased cognitive flexibility in reversal learning as well as generosity under conditions of advantageous but not disadvantageous inequity. Our findings show that oxytocin affects both social and non-social decision making, supporting theoretical accounts of domain-general functions of oxytocin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Eleni Kapetaniou
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
- Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Matthias A Reinhard
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Patricia Christian
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
- Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Andrea Jobst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Philippe N Tobler
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Alexander Soutschek
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
- Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University MunichMunichGermany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Amstutz D, Michelis JP, Debove I, Maradan‐Gachet ME, Lachenmayer ML, Muellner J, Schwegler K, Krack P. Reckless Generosity, Parkinson's Disease and Dopamine: A Case Series and Literature Review. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2021; 8:469-473. [PMID: 33816681 PMCID: PMC8015883 DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.13156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are a frequent side effect of dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Reckless generosity might expand the spectrum of known ICDs. CASES Over 18 months, we encountered three PD patients exhibiting reckless generosity under DRT, leading to disastrous financial and social consequences. LITERATURE REVIEW Except for another case series describing reckless generosity in three PD patients, only one study has examined generosity in PD patients; with findings suggesting that PD patients with ICDs are less sensitive to the aversive aspects of the lack of reciprocation in social settings. Studies with healthy individuals suggest that increased availability of dopamine might reduce social discounting and promote egalitarian behavior, and thereby increase generous behavior towards strangers. Genetic studies show that polymorphisms in dopamine D4 receptors influence generous behavior. CONCLUSIONS Reckless generosity in PD patients with DRT might be underreported and should therefore be carefully be screened for by clinicians. A potential mechanism underlying this ICD-related behavior might be a sensitization of the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic system, leading to reduced social discounting and maladaptive reward-learning. Further research is needed to investigate the prevalence and underlying mechanisms of reckless generosity in PD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Amstutz
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
- Graduate School for Health SciencesUniversity of BernMittelstrasse 433012 BernSwitzerland
| | - Joan Philipp Michelis
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| | - Ines Debove
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| | - Marie Elise Maradan‐Gachet
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
- Graduate School for Health SciencesUniversity of BernMittelstrasse 433012 BernSwitzerland
| | - Martin Lenard Lachenmayer
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| | - Julia Muellner
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| | - Kyrill Schwegler
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| | - Paul Krack
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, University of BernFreiburgstrasse 183010 BernSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Testosterone reduces generosity through cortical and subcortical mechanisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2021745118. [PMID: 33723066 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021745118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence has linked testosterone, a major sex hormone, to selfishness in economic decision-making. Here, we aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms through which testosterone reduces generosity by combining functional MRI with pharmacological manipulation among healthy young males in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design. After testosterone or placebo gel administration, participants performed a social discounting task in which they chose between selfish options (benefiting only the participant) and generous options (providing also some benefit to another person at a particular social distance). At the behavioral level, testosterone reduced generosity compared to the placebo. At the neural level (n = 60), the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) encoded the other-regarding value of the generous option during generous choices, and this effect was attenuated by testosterone, suggesting that testosterone reduced the consideration of other's welfare as underpinned by TPJ activity. Moreover, TPJ activity more strongly reflected individual differences in generosity in the placebo than the testosterone group. Furthermore, testosterone weakened the relation between the other-regarding value of generous decisions and connectivity between the TPJ and a region extending from the insula into the striatum. Together, these findings suggest that a network encompassing both cortical and subcortical components underpins the effects of testosterone on social preferences.
Collapse
|
37
|
Dubois M, Habicht J, Michely J, Moran R, Dolan RJ, Hauser TU. Human complex exploration strategies are enriched by noradrenaline-modulated heuristics. eLife 2021; 10:e59907. [PMID: 33393461 PMCID: PMC7815309 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
An exploration-exploitation trade-off, the arbitration between sampling a lesser-known against a known rich option, is thought to be solved using computationally demanding exploration algorithms. Given known limitations in human cognitive resources, we hypothesised the presence of additional cheaper strategies. We examined for such heuristics in choice behaviour where we show this involves a value-free random exploration, that ignores all prior knowledge, and a novelty exploration that targets novel options alone. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled drug study, assessing contributions of dopamine (400 mg amisulpride) and noradrenaline (40 mg propranolol), we show that value-free random exploration is attenuated under the influence of propranolol, but not under amisulpride. Our findings demonstrate that humans deploy distinct computationally cheap exploration strategies and that value-free random exploration is under noradrenergic control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Magda Dubois
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Johanna Habicht
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jochen Michely
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Rani Moran
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ray J Dolan
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tobias U Hauser
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Frick A, Thinnes I, Hofmann SG, Windmann S, Stangier U. Reduced Social Connectedness and Compassion Toward Close Others in Patients With Chronic Depression Compared to a Non-clinical Sample. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:608607. [PMID: 33815163 PMCID: PMC8012512 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.608607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced social functioning in depression has been explained by different factors. Reduced social connectedness and prosocial motivation may contribute to interpersonal difficulties, particularly in chronic depression. In the present study, we tested whether social connectedness and prosocial motivation are reduced in chronic depression. Forty-seven patients with persistent depression and 49 healthy controls matched for age and gender completed the Inclusion of the Other in the Self Scale (IOS), the Compassionate Love Scale (CLS), the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with IOS and CLS as dependent variables revealed a highly significant difference between both groups. The IOS and the CLS-subscale Close Others were lower in persistent depression, whereas there was no difference in the CLS-subscale Strangers/Humanity. IOS and CLS-Close Others showed significant negative correlations with depressive symptoms. Connectedness to family members as measured by the IOS was negatively correlated with childhood trauma in patients with chronic depression. The results indicate that compassion and perceived social connection are reduced in depressed patients toward close others, but not to others in general. Implications for the treatment of depression are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Artjom Frick
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Isabel Thinnes
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sabine Windmann
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ulrich Stangier
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Garrido-Chaves R, Perez-Alarcón M, Perez V, Hidalgo V, Pulopulos MM, Salvador A. FRN and P3 during the Iowa gambling task: The importance of gender. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13734. [PMID: 33289135 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown gender-related psychobiological differences in risky and competitive strategies that affect win and loss outcomes. In addition, some studies have found differences in the decision-making process, with women taking longer to reach the same performance as men. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in behavioral performance and neural correlates during a decision-making task, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Forty healthy young adults (23 men and 17 women) performed the IGT while the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P3 were recorded as neural correlates of feedback processing. No gender differences were observed in the behavioral performance on the IGT after 100 and 150 trials, or in the P3 component. In women, but not in men, the FRN component showed a greater amplitude for losses than for wins. There were no significant gender-related differences in behavioral performance, and men and women revealed a similar learning process on the IGT. At the neural level, no direct differences between men and women were observed in the feedback processing stage for the FRN or P3. However, our results indicate that women showed greater sensitivity to losses than to wins during the decision-making task, as reflected in the FRN component.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Garrido-Chaves
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mario Perez-Alarcón
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Vanesa Perez
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Vanesa Hidalgo
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Area of Psychobiology, University of Zaragoza, IIS Aragón, Teruel, Spain
| | - Matias M Pulopulos
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Area of Psychobiology, University of Zaragoza, IIS Aragón, Teruel, Spain
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alicia Salvador
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Fóthi Á, Soorya L, Lőrincz A. The Autism Palette: Combinations of Impairments Explain the Heterogeneity in ASD. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:503462. [PMID: 33343403 PMCID: PMC7738611 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.503462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neuropsychiatric condition traditionally defined by core symptoms in social behavior, speech/communication, repetitive behavior, and restricted interests. Beyond the core symptoms, autism has strong association with other disorders such as intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy, schizophrenia among many others. This paper outlines a theory of ASD with capacity to connect heterogeneous "core" symptoms, medical and psychiatric comorbidities as well as other etiological theories of autism in a unifying cognitive framework rooted in neuroscience and genetics. Cognition is embedded into an ever-developing structure modified by experiences, including the outcomes of environment influencing behaviors. The key constraint of cognition is that the brain can handle only 7±2 relevant variables at a time, whereas sensory variables, i.e., the number of sensory neurons is orders of magnitude larger. As a result, (a) the extraction, (b) the encoding, and (c) the capability for the efficient cognitive manipulation of the relevant variables, and (d) the compensatory mechanisms that counteract computational delays of the distributed components are critical. We outline our theoretical model to describe a Cartesian Factor (CF) forming, autoencoder-like cognitive mechanism which breaks combinatorial explosion and is accelerated by internal reinforcing machineries and discuss the neural processes that support CF formation. Impairments in any of these aspects may disrupt learning, cognitive manipulation, decisions on interactions, and execution of decisions. We suggest that social interactions are the most susceptible to combinations of diverse small impairments and can be spoiled in many ways that pile up. Comorbidity is experienced, if any of the many potential impairments is relatively strong. We consider component spoiling impairments as the basic colors of autism, whereas the combinations of individual impairments make the palette of autism. We put forth arguments on the possibility of dissociating the different main elements of the impairments that can appear together. For example, impairments of generalization (domain general learning) and impairments of dealing with many variable problems, such as social situations may appear independently and may mutually enhance their impacts. We also consider mechanisms that may lead to protection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ábel Fóthi
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Informatics, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Latha Soorya
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - András Lőrincz
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Informatics, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Using pharmacological manipulations to study the role of dopamine in human reward functioning: A review of studies in healthy adults. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:123-158. [PMID: 33202256 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) plays a key role in reward processing and is implicated in psychological disorders such as depression, substance use, and schizophrenia. The role of DA in reward processing is an area of highly active research. One approach to this question is drug challenge studies with drugs known to alter DA function. These studies provide good experimental control and can be performed in parallel in laboratory animals and humans. This review aimed to summarize results of studies using pharmacological manipulations of DA in healthy adults. 'Reward' is a complex process, so we separated 'phases' of reward, including anticipation, evaluation of cost and benefits of upcoming reward, execution of actions to obtain reward, pleasure in response to receiving a reward, and reward learning. Results indicated that i) DAergic drugs have different effects on different phases of reward; ii) the relationship between DA and reward functioning appears unlikely to be linear; iii) our ability to detect the effects of DAergic drugs varies depending on whether subjective, behavioral, imaging measures are used.
Collapse
|
42
|
Wang D, Ma Y. Oxytocin facilitates valence-dependent valuation of social evaluation of the self. Commun Biol 2020; 3:433. [PMID: 32792516 PMCID: PMC7426917 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01168-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
People are eager to know the self in other’s eyes even with personal costs. However, what drives people costly to know evaluations remains unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis of placing subjective value on knowing social evaluations. To quantify the subjective value, we developed a pay-to-know choice task where individuals trade off profits against knowing social evaluations. Individuals computed independent unknown aversion towards positive and negative social evaluations and placed higher values on knowing social evaluation on positive than negative aspects. Such a valence-dependent valuation of social evaluation was facilitated by oxytocin, a neuropeptide linked to feedback learning and valuation processes, by decreasing values of negative social evaluation. Moreover, individuals scoring high in depression undervalued positive social evaluation, which was normalized by oxytocin. We reveal the psychological and computational processes underlying self-image formation/update and suggest a role of oxytocin in normalizing hypo-valuation of positive social evaluation in depression. Danyang Wang and Yina Ma measure the amount of money participants are willing to forgo for the opportunity to access social or non-social evaluations of the self. They show that subjective values on knowing social evaluation is valence-dependent whereas that on non-social evaluation is valence-insensitive. Moreover, oxytocin contributes to valence-dependent valuation on social evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Soutschek A, Moisa M, Ruff CC, Tobler PN. The right temporoparietal junction enables delay of gratification by allowing decision makers to focus on future events. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000800. [PMID: 32776945 PMCID: PMC7447039 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of neural processes underlying delay of gratification usually focus on prefrontal networks related to curbing affective impulses. Here, we provide evidence for an alternative mechanism that facilitates delaying gratification by mental orientation towards the future. Combining continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) with functional neuroimaging, we tested how the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) facilitates processing of future events and thereby promotes delay of gratification. Participants performed an intertemporal decision task and a mental time-travel task in the MRI scanner before and after receiving cTBS over the rTPJ or the vertex (control site). rTPJ cTBS led to both stronger temporal discounting for longer delays and reduced processing of future relative to past events in the mental time-travel task. This finding suggests that the rTPJ contributes to the ability to delay gratification by facilitating mental representation of outcomes in the future. On the neural level, rTPJ cTBS led to a reduction in the extent to which connectivity of rTPJ with striatum reflected the value of delayed rewards, indicating a role of rTPJ–striatum connectivity in constructing neural representations of future rewards. Together, our findings provide evidence that the rTPJ is an integral part of a brain network that promotes delay of gratification by facilitating mental orientation to future rewards. Studies of neural processes underlying delay of gratification usually focus on prefrontal networks related to curbing affective impulses. This study reveals that the right temporo-parietal junction improves patience by shifting attention to future outcomes, strengthening the representations of future reward values in the brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Soutschek
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Marius Moisa
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C. Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philippe N. Tobler
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Wu Y, Zhang Y, Ou J, Hu Y, Zilioli S. Exogenous testosterone increases the audience effect in healthy males: evidence for the social status hypothesis. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200976. [PMID: 32673552 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies have implicated testosterone in the modulation of altruistic behaviours instrumental to advancing social status. Independent studies have also shown that people tend to behave more altruistically when being watched (i.e. audience effect). To date, little is known about whether testosterone could modulate the audience effect. In the current study, we tested the effect of testosterone on altruistic behaviour using a donation task, wherein participants were asked to either accept or reject a monetary transfer to a charity organization accompanying a personal cost either in the presence or absence of an observer. We administered testosterone gel or placebo to healthy young men (n = 140) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, mixed design. Our results showed that participants were more likely to accept the monetary transfer to the charity when being observed compared to when they completed the task alone. More importantly, this audience effect was amplified among people receiving testosterone versus placebo. Our findings suggest that testosterone administration increases the audience effect and further buttress the social status hypothesis, according to which testosterone promotes status-seeking behaviour in a context-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yin Wu
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yinhua Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianxin Ou
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Hu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.,Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Smith R, Steklis HD, Steklis NG, Weihs KL, Lane RD. The evolution and development of the uniquely human capacity for emotional awareness: A synthesis of comparative anatomical, cognitive, neurocomputational, and evolutionary psychological perspectives. Biol Psychol 2020; 154:107925. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
|
46
|
Bellucci G, Münte TF, Park SQ. Effects of a dopamine agonist on trusting behaviors in females. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1671-1680. [PMID: 32107571 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05488-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Trust is central to bonding and cooperation. In many social interactions, individuals need to trust another person exclusively on the basis of their subjective impressions of the other's trustworthiness. Such impressions can be formed from social information from faces (e.g., facial trustworthiness and attractiveness) and guide trusting behaviors via activations of dopaminergic brain regions. However, the specific dopaminergic effects on impression-based trust are to date elusive. Here, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design, we administrated a D2/D3 dopamine agonist (pramipexole) to 28 healthy females who subsequently played a one-shot trust game with partners of varying facial trustworthiness. Our results show that by minimizing facial attractiveness information, we could isolate the specific effects of facial trustworthiness on trust in unknown partners. Despite no modulation of trustworthiness impressions, pramipexole intake significantly impacted trusting behaviors. Notably, these effects of pramipexole on trusting behaviors interacted with participants' hormonal contraceptive use. In particular, after pramipexole intake, trust significantly decreased in hormonal contraceptive non-users. This study fills an important gap in the experimental literature on trust and its neural dynamics, unearthing the cognitive and neural modulations of trusting behaviors based on trustworthiness impressions of others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Bellucci
- Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany.
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Thomas F Münte
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Soyoung Q Park
- Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany
- Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetes, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Calzada-Reyes A, Alvarez-Amador A, Galán-García L, Valdés-Sosa M. Sex Differences in QEEG in Psychopath Offenders. Clin EEG Neurosci 2020; 51:146-154. [PMID: 32241230 DOI: 10.1177/1550059419872414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Introduction. Functional brain differences related to sex in psychopathic behavior represent an important field of neuroscience research; there are few studies on this area, mainly in offender samples. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of electrophysiological differences between male and female psychopath offenders; specifically, we wanted to assess whether the results in quantitative EEG, low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA), and changes in synchronous brain activity could be related to sex influence. Sample and Methods. The study included 31 male and 12 female psychopath offenders, according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised criteria from 2 prisons located in Havana City. The EEG visual inspection characteristics and the use of frequency domain quantitative analysis techniques are described. Results. The resting EEG visual analyses revealed a high percentage of EEG abnormalities in both studied groups. Significant statistical differences between the mean parameters of cross spectral measures between psychopathic offender groups were found in the beta band at bilateral frontal derivation and centroparietal areas. LORETA showed differences especially in the paralimbic and parieto-occipital areas Synchronization likelihood revealed a significant group effect in the 26 to 30 Hz band. These results indicate that combining quantitative EEG, LORETA analysis, and synchronization likelihood may improve the neurofunctional differentiation between psychopath offenders of both sexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Calzada-Reyes
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Cuban Center for Neurosciences, Havana City, Cuba
| | - Alfredo Alvarez-Amador
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Cuban Center for Neurosciences, Havana City, Cuba
| | - Lídice Galán-García
- Department of Neurostatistic, Cuban Center for Neurosciences, Havana City, Cuba
| | - Mitchell Valdés-Sosa
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Cuban Center for Neurosciences, Havana City, Cuba
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Dopaminergic D 1 Receptor Stimulation Affects Effort and Risk Preferences. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:678-685. [PMID: 31668477 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Activation of D1 receptors has been related to successful goal-directed behavior, but it remains unclear whether D1 receptor activation causally tips the balance of weighing costs and benefits in humans. Here, we tested the impact of pharmacologically stimulated D1 receptors on sensitivity to risk, delay, and effort costs in economic choice and investigated whether D1 receptor stimulation would bias preferences toward options with increased costs in a cost-specific manner. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase 1 study, 120 healthy young volunteers received either placebo or 1 of 3 doses (6 mg, 15 mg, or 30 mg) of a novel, selective D1 agonist (PF-06412562). After drug administration, participants performed decision tasks measuring their preferences for risky, delayed, and effortful outcomes. RESULTS Higher doses of the D1 agonist increased the willingness to exert physical effort for reward as well as reduced the preference for risky outcomes. We observed no effects on preferences for delayed rewards. CONCLUSIONS The current results provide evidence that D1 receptor stimulation causally affects core aspects of cost-benefit decision making in humans.
Collapse
|
49
|
|
50
|
Kiesow H, Dunbar RIM, Kable JW, Kalenscher T, Vogeley K, Schilbach L, Marquand AF, Wiecki TV, Bzdok D. 10,000 social brains: Sex differentiation in human brain anatomy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz1170. [PMID: 32206722 PMCID: PMC7080454 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz1170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In human and nonhuman primates, sex differences typically explain much interindividual variability. Male and female behaviors may have played unique roles in the likely coevolution of increasing brain volume and more complex social dynamics. To explore possible divergence in social brain morphology between men and women living in different social environments, we applied probabilistic generative modeling to ~10,000 UK Biobank participants. We observed strong volume effects especially in the limbic system but also in regions of the sensory, intermediate, and higher association networks. Sex-specific brain volume effects in the limbic system were linked to the frequency and intensity of social contact, such as indexed by loneliness, household size, and social support. Across the processing hierarchy of neural networks, different conditions for social interplay may resonate in and be influenced by brain anatomy in sex-dependent ways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Kiesow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Joseph W. Kable
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kai Vogeley
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine—Cognitive Neuroscience (INM-3), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen Strasse, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Outpatient and Day Clinic for Disorders of Social Interaction, Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Andre F. Marquand
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Neuroimaging, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | | | - Danilo Bzdok
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Aachen, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Mila-Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|