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Edwards M, Morrow EL, Duff MC. Intact moral decision-making in adults with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury. BRAIN IMPAIR 2023; 24:568-585. [PMID: 38124901 PMCID: PMC10730091 DOI: 10.1017/brimp.2022.11] [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] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Background and aim Deficits in decision-making are a common consequence of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Less is known, however, about how individuals with TBI perform on moral decision-making tasks. To address this gap in the literature, the current study probed moral decision-making in a sample of individuals with TBI using a widely employed experimental measure. Methods/hypothesis We administered a set of 50 trolley-type dilemmas to 31 individuals with TBI and 31 demographically matched, neurotypical comparison participants. We hypothesized that individuals with TBI would be more likely to offer utilitarian responses to personal dilemmas than neurotypical peers. Results In contrast to our hypothesis, we observed that individuals with TBI were not more likely to offer utilitarian responses for personal dilemmas. Conclusion Our results suggest that moral decision-making ability is not uniformly impaired following TBI. Rather, neuroanatomical (lesion location) and demographic (age at injury) characteristics may be more predictive of a disruption in moral decision-making than TBI diagnosis or injury severity alone. These results inform the neurobiology of moral decision-making and have implications for characterizing patterns of spared and impaired cognitive abilities in TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily L. Morrow
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Melissa C. Duff
- Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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2
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Mosca A, Miuli A, Mancusi G, Chiappini S, Stigliano G, De Pasquale A, Di Petta G, Bubbico G, Pasino A, Pettorruso M, Martinotti G. To bridge or not to bridge: Moral Judgement in Cocaine Use Disorders, a case-control study on human morality. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:271-281. [PMID: 37594151 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2242096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the "Dual-Process theory", morality is characterized by the interaction between an automatic-emotional process, mediated by the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) and linked to personal-deontological decisions, and a rational-conscious one, mediated by the Dorso-Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) and linked to impersonal-utilitarian decisions. These areas are altered by chronic use of cocaine, with a possible impact on moral decision-making. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the difference between a group of Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) patients and a control group in moral decision-making. METHODS Subjects with CUD were compared to an equal-sized healthy group regarding their moral decision-making. Trolley and Footbridge Moral Dilemmas were administered to each group. The quality of the answer (yes or no) and the time needed to answer were recorded. RESULTS The recruited group includes 72 subjects, 36 with CUD and 36 healthy subjects (average age of 39.51 ± 9.89). In the Trolley dilemma, almost all the subjects (97.3%) answered "yes", while in the Footbridge dilemma CUD subjects answered "yes" more often (52.7%) than the healthy group (19.4%). CONCLUSION For strong emotional dilemmas (Footbridge), cocaine users answered "yes" with a higher frequency compared to healthy subjects, highlighting a wider utilitarian tendency in decision-making and a poor emotional participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mosca
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - A Miuli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - G Mancusi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - S Chiappini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse & Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life, and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - G Stigliano
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - A De Pasquale
- Dipartimento di Salute Mentale E Delle Dipendenze, Sede Regionale, Sede di Isernia, Isernia, Italy
| | - G Di Petta
- SPDC, Mental Health Department, Santa Maria Delle Grazie Hospital, Naples, Italy
| | - G Bubbico
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
- Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - A Pasino
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - M Pettorruso
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | - G Martinotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse & Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life, and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
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3
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Miranda-Rodríguez RA, Leenen I, Han H, Palafox-Palafox G, García-Rodríguez G. Moral reasoning and moral competence as predictors of cooperative behavior in a social dilemma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3724. [PMID: 36878921 PMCID: PMC9987402 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30314-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The level of moral development may be crucial to understand behavior when people have to choose between prioritizing individual gains or pursuing general social benefits. This study evaluated whether two different psychological constructs, moral reasoning and moral competence, are associated with cooperative behavior in the context of the prisoner's dilemma game, a two-person social dilemma where individuals choose between cooperation or defection. One hundred and eighty-nine Mexican university students completed the Defining Issues Test (DIT-2; measuring moral reasoning) and the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and played an online version of the prisoner's dilemma game, once against each participant in a group of 6-10 players. Our results indicate that cooperative behavior is strongly affected by the outcomes in previous rounds: Except when both participants cooperated, the probability of cooperation with other participants in subsequent rounds decreased. Both the DIT-2 and MCT independently moderated this effect of previous experiences, particularly in the case of sucker-outcomes. Individuals with high scores on both tests were not affected when in previous rounds the other player defected while they cooperated. Our findings suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning and moral competence promote the maintenance of cooperative behaviors despite facing adverse situations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iwin Leenen
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Hyemin Han
- Educational Psychology Program, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA, Alabama, 35487
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4
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Baez S, Trujillo-Llano C, de Souza LC, Lillo P, Forno G, Santamaría-García H, Okuma C, Alegria P, Huepe D, Ibáñez A, Decety J, Slachevsky A. Moral Emotions and Their Brain Structural Correlates Across Neurodegenerative Disorders. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 92:153-169. [PMID: 36710684 PMCID: PMC11181819 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221131] [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] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although social cognition is compromised in patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), research on moral emotions and their neural correlates in these populations is scarce. No previous study has explored the utility of moral emotions, compared to and in combination with classical general cognitive state tools, to discriminate bvFTD from AD patients. OBJECTIVE To examine self-conscious (guilt and embarrassment) and other-oriented (pity and indignation) moral emotions, their subjective experience, and their structural brain underpinnings in bvFTD (n = 31) and AD (n = 30) patients, compared to healthy controls (n = 37). We also explored the potential utility of moral emotions measures to discriminate bvFTD from AD. METHODS We used a modified version of the Moral Sentiment Task measuring the participants' accuracy scores and their emotional subjective experiences. RESULTS bvFTD patients exhibited greater impairments in self-conscious and other-oriented moral emotions as compared with AD patients and healthy controls. Moral emotions combined with general cognitive state tools emerged as useful measures to discriminate bvFTD from AD patients. In bvFTD patients, lower moral emotions scores were associated with lower gray matter volumes in caudate nucleus and inferior and middle temporal gyri. In AD, these scores were associated with lower gray matter volumes in superior and middle frontal gyri, middle temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and supramarginal gyrus. CONCLUSION These findings contribute to a better understanding of moral emotion deficits across neurodegenerative disorders, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating this domain into the clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catalina Trujillo-Llano
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Leonardo Cruz de Souza
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Patricia Lillo
- Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Neurologia Sur, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Forno
- Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Physiopathology Department - ICBM, Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Hernando Santamaría-García
- Centro de Memoria y Cognición Intellectus, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Universidad Javeriana, PhD Program of Neuroscience, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Cecilia Okuma
- Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Servicio de Neurorradiología, Instituto de Neurocirugía Dr. Asenjo, Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Oriente, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricio Alegria
- Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Barros Luco Trudeau, San Miguel, Chile
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Latin American Brain Health Institute, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Andrea Slachevsky
- Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Physiopathology Department - ICBM, Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Memory and Neuropsychiatric Center, Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador and Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Servicio de Neurología, Departamento de Medicina, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
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5
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Gan T, Zhang Y, Song D, Zheng Y, Martin DM. Causal evidence of the roles of the prefrontal and occipital cortices in modulating the impact of color on moral judgement. Neuropsychologia 2022; 172:108267. [PMID: 35568145 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Moral judgment is known to be affected by factors such as color. Previous research has shown that the colors black and white are particularly important, however, the neural mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between specific brain regions (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left DLPFC and occipital cortex, OC) and their impact of black and white moral judgement by using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The results of Experiment 1 (N = 54) and Experiment 2 (N = 66) showed that anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC inhibited the impact of black and white on moral judgment while cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC enhanced the effect. Conversely, anodal tDCS over the OC enhanced the impact of white on moral judgment, while cathodal tDCS over the OC inhibited it. Together these results suggest that moral judgment relies not only on the cognitive control network, but also brain regions important for sensory perception. The current findings provide enhanced insight into how colors can impact moral judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Gan
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dandan Song
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Donel M Martin
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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6
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Luis EO, Akrivou K, Bermejo-Martins E, Scalzo G, Orón JV. The Interprocessual-Self Theory in Support of Human Neuroscience Studies. Front Psychol 2022; 12:686928. [PMID: 35153881 PMCID: PMC8832125 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686928] [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: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rather than occurring abstractly (autonomously), ethical growth occurs in interpersonal relationships (IRs). It requires optimally functioning cognitive processes [attention, working memory (WM), episodic/autobiographical memory (AM), inhibition, flexibility, among others], emotional processes (physical contact, motivation, and empathy), processes surrounding ethical, intimacy, and identity issues, and other psychological processes (self-knowledge, integration, and the capacity for agency). Without intending to be reductionist, we believe that these aspects are essential for optimally engaging in IRs and for the personal constitution. While they are all integrated into our daily life, in research and academic work, it is hard to see how they are integrated. Thus, we need better theoretical frameworks for studying them. That study and integration thereof are undertaken differently depending on different views of what it means to live as a human being. We rely on neuroscientific data to support the chosen theory to offer knowledge to understand human beings and interpersonal relational growth. We should of course note that to describe what makes up the uniqueness of being, acting, and growing as a human person involves something much more profound which requires too, a methodology that opens the way for a theory of the person that responds to the concerns of philosophy and philosophical anthropology from many disciplines and methods (Orón Semper, 2015; Polo, 2015), but this is outside the scope of this study. With these in mind, this article aims to introduce a new explanatory framework, called the Interprocessual-self (IPS), for the neuroscientific findings that allow for a holistic consideration of the previously mentioned processes. Contributing to the knowledge of personal growth and avoiding a reductionist view, we first offer a general description of the research that supports the interrelation between personal virtue in IRs and relevant cognitive, emotional, and ethic-moral processes. This reveals how relationships allow people to relate ethically and grow as persons. We include conceptualizations and descriptions of their neural bases. Secondly, with the IPS model, we explore neuroscientific findings regarding self-knowledge, integration, and agency, all psychological processes that stimulate inner exploration of the self concerning the other. We find that these fundamental conditions can be understood from IPS theory. Finally, we explore situations that involve the integration of two levels, namely the interpersonal one and the social contexts of relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elkin O. Luis
- Psychological Processes in Education and Health Group, School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Kleio Akrivou
- Henley Business School, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Bermejo-Martins
- Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
- Department of Community Nursing and Midwifery, School of Nursing, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Germán Scalzo
- School of Business, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José Víctor Orón
- Fundación UpToYou Educación, Zaragoza, Spain
- *Correspondence: José Víctor Orón,
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7
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Fairness decision-making of opportunity equity in gain and loss contexts. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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8
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The neural basis of decision-making during time-based inter-role conflict. Biol Psychol 2021; 165:108186. [PMID: 34487806 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Time-based inter-role conflict is a type of conflict in which individuals are faced with simultaneous role pressures from different role domains. Some researchers have applied a decision-making perspective to investigate inter-role conflict; however, the neural basis of inter-role decision-making has rarely been discussed. In the current study, a collection of inter-role conflict scenarios with high/low levels of conflict were selected, and sixty college students were recruited to make choices between the conflicting student and family/friend demands in each scenario while their brain activities were recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blood oxygen level-dependent conjunction analysis found that making decisions in inter-role conflict activated brain areas, including the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), bilateral temporoparietal conjunction (TPJ), bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and bilateral anterior temporal lobe. Direct comparisons between high versus low conflict situations showed increased activation of the left dorsal anterior cingulate. A generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis further showed enhanced connectivity among the mPFC, PCC, and bilateral TPJ in high conflict versus low conflict situations. Our study improved understanding of the relationship between brain and inter-role decision-making and provided an empirical examination on the psychological process propositions.
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9
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Ringshaw JE, Hamilton K, Malcolm-Smith S. Theory of Mind and Moral Decision-Making in the Context of Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:1693-1711. [PMID: 34105048 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05055-z] [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: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been linked to Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits. However, little research has investigated the relationship between ToM and moral decision-making in children with ASD. This study compared moral decision-making and ToM between aggregate-matched ASD and neurotypical boys (n = 38 per group; aged 6-12). In a third-party resource allocation task manipulating recipient merit, wealth, and health, neurotypical children allocated significantly more resources to the morally deserving recipient, suggesting equitable allocation. A comparatively larger portion of the ASD group allocated equally. ToM emerged as a predictor of moral decision-making. We suggest that ToM (cognitive empathy) deficits may underly atypical moral decision-making in ASD by limiting the integration of empathic arousal (affective empathy) with moral information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Ringshaw
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. .,ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Katie Hamilton
- ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Susan Malcolm-Smith
- ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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10
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Hiraishi H, Ikeda T, Saito DN, Hasegawa C, Kitagawa S, Takahashi T, Kikuchi M, Ouchi Y. Regional and Temporal Differences in Brain Activity With Morally Good or Bad Judgments in Men: A Magnetoencephalography Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:596711. [PMID: 33911998 PMCID: PMC8072487 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.596711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neuroimaging studies on morality focus on functional brain areas that relate to moral judgment specifically in morally negative situations. To date, there have been few studies on differences in brain activity under conditions of being morally good and bad along a continuum. To explore not only the brain regions involved but also their functional connections during moral judgments, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which is superior to other imaging modalities for analyzing time-dependent brain activities; only men were recruited because sex differences might be a confounding factor. While analyses showed that general patterns of brain activation and connectivity were similar between morally good judgments (MGJs) and morally bad judgments (MBJs), activation in brain areas that subserve emotion and “theory of mind” on the right hemisphere was larger in MGJ than MBJ conditions. In the left local temporal region, the connectivity between brain areas related to emotion and reward/punishment was stronger in MBJ than MGJ conditions. The time-frequency analysis showed distinct laterality (left hemisphere dominant) occurring during early moral information processing in MBJ conditions compared to MGJ conditions and phase-dependent differences in the appearance of theta waves between MBJ and MGJ conditions. During MBJs, connections within the hemispheric regions were more robust than those between hemispheric regions. These results suggested that the local temporal region on the left hemisphere is more important in the execution of MBJs during early moral valence processing than in that with MGJs. Shorter neuronal connections within the hemisphere may allow to make MBJs punctual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotoshi Hiraishi
- Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Ikeda
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Daisuke N Saito
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Department of Psychology, Yasuda Women's University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Chiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Sachiko Kitagawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Takahashi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yasuomi Ouchi
- Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
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11
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Arioli M, Canessa N. Neural processing of social interaction: Coordinate-based meta-analytic evidence from human neuroimaging studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3712-3737. [PMID: 31077492 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the action observation and mentalizing networks are considered to play complementary roles in understanding others' goals and intentions, they might be concurrently engaged when processing social interactions. We assessed this hypothesis via three activation-likelihood-estimation meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies on the neural processing of: (a) social interactions, (b) individual actions by the action observation network, and (c) mental states by the mentalizing network. Conjunction analyses and direct comparisons unveiled overlapping and specific regions among the resulting maps. We report quantitative meta-analytic evidence for a "social interaction network" including key nodes of the action observation and mentalizing networks. An action-social interaction-mentalizing gradient of activity along the posterior temporal cortex highlighted a hierarchical processing of interactions, from visuomotor analyses decoding individual and shared intentions to in-depth inferences on actors' intentional states. The medial prefrontal cortex, possibly in conjunction with the amygdala, might provide additional information concerning the affective valence of the interaction. This evidence suggests that the functional architecture underlying the neural processing of interactions involves the joint involvement of the action observation and mentalizing networks. These data might inform the design of rehabilitative treatments for social cognition disorders in pathological conditions, and the assessment of their outcome in randomized controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Arioli
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, IRCCS ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, IRCCS ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
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12
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Meta-analysis of the moral brain: patterns of neural engagement assessed using multilevel kernel density analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 14:534-547. [PMID: 30706370 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00035-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The neuroimaging literature in moral cognition has rapidly developed in the last decade with more than 200 publications on the topic. Neuroimaging based models generally agree that limbic regions work with medial prefrontal and temporal regions during moral processing to integrate emotional, social, and cognitive elements into decision-making. However, no quantitative work has been done examining neural response across types of moral cognition tasks. This paper uses Multilevel Kernel Density Analysis (MKDA) to conduct neuroimaging meta-analyses of the moral cognitive literature. MKDA replicated previous findings of the neural correlates of moral cognition: the left amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, bilateral temporoparietal junction, and posterior cingulate. Random forest algorithms classified neural features as belonging to simple/utilitarian moral dilemmas, explicit/implicit moral tasks, and word/picture moral stimuli tasks; in combination with univariate contrast analyses, these results indicated a distinct pattern of processing for each of the members of these paradigm pairs. Overall, the results emphasize that the task selected for use in a moral cognition neuroimaging study is vital for the elicitation and interpretation of results. It also replicates and re-establishes the neural basis for moral processing, especially important in light of implementation errors in previous meta-analysis.
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13
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Semler E, Petersdorff L, Anderl-Straub S, Böhm S, Lulé D, Fangerau H, Ludolph AC, Otto M, Uttner I. Moral judgment in patients with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: no impairment of the moral position, but rather its execution. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2018; 20:12-18. [PMID: 30513214 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2018.1534972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate moral judgment competence in patients with the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) compared to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and controls. METHODS N = 12 bvFTD, N = 22 ALS patients and N = 19 neurological unimpaired controls were examined. In the 'Moral Competence Test' (MCT), participants had to evaluate two moral dilemmas by predefined arguments to measure the consistency of their moral judgments. The 'Ethics Position Questionnaire' (EPQ) addresses whether individuals prefer binding ethical standards, the Idler Index of Religiosity (IIR) measures the level of religiosity. Cognition was assessed with the CERAD-plus. RESULTS BvFTD and ALS patients exhibited a similar moral position as healthy controls but a significantly lower judgment consistency in the MCT. MCT performance was independent from general cognitive functioning and not associated with moral orientation and religiosity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that not the moral position itself seems to be impaired in patients with bvFTD, but rather their competence to transfer it into situational decisions. The fact that ALS patients have similar problems in applying moral principles in a consistent manner might indicate a deficit in execution of moral judgment, and this is in line with studies suggesting a damage of specific cerebral structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Semler
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
| | | | | | - Sarah Böhm
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
| | - Dorothée Lulé
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
| | - Heiner Fangerau
- b Department of the History Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine , Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf , Düsseldorf , Germany
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
| | - Markus Otto
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
| | - Ingo Uttner
- a Department of Neurology , University of Ulm , Ulm , Germany and
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14
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Selective changes in moral judgment by noninvasive brain stimulation of the medial prefrontal cortex. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 19:797-810. [PMID: 30411201 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-00664-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Multiple cortical networks intervene in moral judgment, among which the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the medial prefrontal structures (medial PFC) emerged as two major territories, which have been traditionally attributed, respectively, to cognitive control and affective reactions. However, some recent theoretical and empirical accounts disputed this dualistic approach to moral evaluation. In the present study, to further assess the functional contribution of the medial PFC in moral judgment, we modulated its cortical excitability by means of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and tracked the change in response to different types of moral dilemmas, including switch-like and footbridge-like moral dilemmas, with and without personal involvement. One hundred participants (50 males) completed a questionnaire to assess the baseline levels of deontology. Next, participants were randomly assigned to receive anodal, sham, or cathodal tDCS over the medial prefrontal structures and then were asked to address a series of dilemmas. The results showed that participants who received anodal stimulation over the medial PFC provided more utilitarian responses to switch-like (but not footbridge-like) dilemmas than those who received cathodal tDCS. We also found that neurostimulation modulated the influence that deontology has on moral choices. Specifically, in the anodal tDCS group, participants' decisions were less likely to be influenced by their baseline levels of deontology compared with the sham or cathodal groups. Overall, our results seem to refute a functional role of the medial prefrontal structures purely restricted to affective reactions for moral dilemmas, providing new insights on the functional contribution of the medial PFC in moral judgment.
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15
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Dashtestani H, Zaragoza R, Kermanian R, Knutson KM, Halem M, Casey A, Shahni Karamzadeh N, Anderson AA, Boccara AC, Gandjbakhche A. The role of prefrontal cortex in a moral judgment task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Brain Behav 2018; 8:e01116. [PMID: 30253084 PMCID: PMC6236239 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the neural basis of moral judgment (MJ) and human decision-making has been the subject of numerous studies because of their impact on daily life activities and social norms. Here, we aimed to investigate the neural process of MJ using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a noninvasive, portable, and affordable neuroimaging modality. METHODS We examined prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in 33 healthy participants engaging in MJ exercises. We hypothesized that participants presented with personal (emotionally salient) and impersonal (less emotional) dilemmas would exhibit different brain activation observable through fNIRS. We also investigated the effects of utilitarian and nonutilitarian responses to MJ scenarios on PFC activation. Utilitarian responses are those that favor the greatest good while nonutilitarian responses favor moral actions. Mixed effect models were applied to model the cerebral hemodynamic changes that occurred during MJ dilemmas. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Our analysis found significant differences in PFC activation during personal versus impersonal dilemmas. Specifically, the left dorsolateral PFC was highly activated during impersonal MJ when a nonutilitarian decision was made. This is consistent with the majority of relevant fMRI studies, and demonstrates the feasibility of using fNIRS, with its portable and motion tolerant capacities, to investigate the neural basis of MJ dilemmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadis Dashtestani
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.,Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Rachel Zaragoza
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Riley Kermanian
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kristine M Knutson
- Brain Neurology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Milton Halem
- Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Aisling Casey
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nader Shahni Karamzadeh
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Afrouz A Anderson
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Amir Gandjbakhche
- Section on Analytical and Functional Biophotonics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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16
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Galil A, Yarmolovsky J, Gidron M, Geva R. Cheating behavior in children: Integrating gaze allocation and social awareness. J Exp Child Psychol 2018; 178:405-416. [PMID: 30292569 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Children's cheating and factors supporting honesty are not well understood. The current work explored variables involved in children's cheating through eye-tracking and an implicit manipulation in which extrinsic awareness of the effects of one's behaviors on others was primed. Participants played a computer game with the option for a monetary gain in which they could earn more if they selectively erred in response to more profitable stimuli. Results show that children cheat by making selective effort toward more profitable errors; however, extrinsic awareness inhibits these cheating behaviors. Importantly, gaze toward children's earnings mediates this relationship, suggesting that extrinsic awareness mitigates an impulsive looking pattern, which in turn results in less cheating. Findings suggest that an implicit manipulation, highlighting the potential implications of one's actions for others, seems to effectively suppress cheating among children. Furthermore, attention toward earnings offers a cognitive process that acts to mediate the effect of this manipulation on cheating. Taken together, this framework suggests psychoneurocognitive and social processes that influence cheating in children, offering a direction for future implicit intervention techniques to support honest performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avshalom Galil
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Jessica Yarmolovsky
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel; Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Maor Gidron
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel; Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Ronny Geva
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel; Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel.
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17
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Walker R, Clark JJ, Monahan EC, Shechet A, Agharkar BS, Kheibari A, Victor Iii G. Developmental impairments in moral competence as mitigation in capital cases. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2018; 36:437-456. [PMID: 30004137 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this article we propose a mitigation approach in those capital murder cases where traditional mitigation themes such as mental illness or low IQ are not present. To avoid prosecution characterization of these defendants as simply evil or antisocial personalities, we suggest reframing the issue as one of moral incompetence, based not on character defect but rather stemming from profoundly neglectful or abusive parenting. Under this reframing, defense teams would present evidence about the many antecedents of poor moral competence, its origins in neglect or abuse, its neurophysiological basis, and, most importantly, its potential for change. Evaluation in such cases would pay close attention to early childhood and family characteristics. We also recommend presentation of research findings showing how moral competence can be improved in adulthood, given appropriate guidance and support. This approach to mitigation is consistent with much of the developmental literature. But juror responses to these mitigation themes are as yet unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Walker
- College of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Science and Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - James J Clark
- College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | | | - Art Shechet
- Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, Frankfort, KY, USA
| | - Bhushan S Agharkar
- Private practice psychiatrist, and Clinical faculty, Emory University and Morehouse Schools of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Athena Kheibari
- College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Grant Victor Iii
- College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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18
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Apps MAJ, Ramnani N. Contributions of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Social Influence in Economic Decision-Making. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:4635-4648. [PMID: 28922858 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Economic decisions are guided by highly subjective reward valuations (SVs). Often these SVs are over-ridden when individuals conform to social norms. Yet, the neural mechanisms that underpin the distinct processing of such normative reward valuations (NVs) are poorly understood. The dorsomedial and ventromedial portions of the prefrontal cortex (dmPFC/vmPFC) are putatively key regions for processing social and economic information respectively. However, the contribution of these regions to economic decisions guided by social norms is unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and computational modeling we examine the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of SVs and NVs. Subjects (n = 15) indicated either their own economic preferences or made similar choices based on a social norm-learnt during a training session. We found that that the vmPFC and dmPFC make dissociable contributions to the processing of SV and NV. Regions of the dmPFC processed "only" the value of rewards when making normative choices. In contrast, we identify a novel mechanism in the vmPFC for the coding of value. This region signaled both subjective and normative valuations, but activity was scaled positively for SV and negatively for NV. These results highlight some of the key mechanisms that underpin conformity and social influence in economic decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A J Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.,Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.,Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London TWO 0EX, UK
| | - N Ramnani
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London TWO 0EX, UK
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19
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Sun D, Shao R, Wang Z, Lee TMC. Perceived Gaze Direction Modulates Neural Processing of Prosocial Decision Making. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:52. [PMID: 29487516 PMCID: PMC5816754 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gaze direction is a common social cue implying potential interpersonal interaction. However, little is known about the neural processing of social decision making influenced by perceived gaze direction. Here, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) method to investigate 27 females when they were engaging in an economic exchange game task during which photos of direct or averted eye gaze were shown. We found that, when averted but not direct gaze was presented, prosocial vs. selfish choices were associated with stronger activations in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) as well as larger functional couplings between right STG and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Moreover, stronger activations in right STG was associated with quicker actions for making prosocial choice accompanied with averted gaze. The findings suggest that, when the cue implying social contact is absent, the processing of understanding others’ intention and the relationship between self and others is more involved for making prosocial than selfish decisions. These findings could advance our understanding of the roles of subtle cues in influencing prosocial decision making, as well as shedding lights on deficient social cue processing and functioning among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Delin Sun
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, NC, United States
| | - Robin Shao
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Zhaoxin Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Institute of Clinical Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
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20
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Zijlmans J, Marhe R, Bevaart F, Luijks MJA, van Duin L, Tiemeier H, Popma A. Neural Correlates of Moral Evaluation and Psychopathic Traits in Male Multi-Problem Young Adults. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:248. [PMID: 29942267 PMCID: PMC6004505 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-problem young adults (18-27 years) present with a plethora of problems, including varying degrees of psychopathic traits. The amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) have been implicated in moral dysfunction in psychopathy in adolescents and adults, but no studies have been performed in populations in the transitional period to adulthood. We tested in multi-problem young adults the hypothesis that psychopathic traits are related to amygdala and vmPFC activity during moral evaluation. Additionally, we explored the relation between psychopathic traits and other regions consistently implicated in moral evaluation. Our final sample consisted of 100 multi-problem young adults and 22 healthy controls. During fMRI scanning, participants judged whether pictures showed a moral violation on a 1-4 scale. Whole brain analysis revealed neural correlates of moral evaluation consistent with the literature. Region of interest analyses revealed positive associations between the affective callous-unemotional dimension of psychopathy and activation in the left vmPFC, left superior temporal gyrus, and left cingulate. Our results are consistent with altered vmPFC function during moral evaluation in psychopathy, but we did not find evidence for amygdala involvement. Our findings indicate the affective callous-unemotional trait of psychopathy may be related to widespread altered activation patterns during moral evaluation in multi-problem young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josjan Zijlmans
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Reshmi Marhe
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Floor Bevaart
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marie-Jolette A Luijks
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Laura van Duin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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21
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Construal Level Theory and Moral Judgments: How Thinking Abstractly Modifies Morality. JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS 2017. [DOI: 10.5334/jeps.413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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22
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Zinchenko O, Arsalidou M. Brain responses to social norms: Meta-analyses of fMRI studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:955-970. [PMID: 29160930 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social norms have a critical role in everyday decision-making, as frequent interaction with others regulates our behavior. Neuroimaging studies show that social-based and fairness-related decision-making activates an inconsistent set of areas, which sometimes includes the anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and others lateral prefrontal cortices. Social-based decision-making is complex and variability in findings may be driven by socio-cognitive activities related to social norms. To distinguish among social-cognitive activities related to social norms, we identified 36 eligible articles in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature, which we separate into two categories (a) social norm representation and (b) norm violations. The majority of original articles (>60%) used tasks associated with fairness norms and decision-making, such as ultimatum game, dictator game, or prisoner's dilemma; the rest used tasks associated to violation of moral norms, such as scenarios and sentences of moral depravity ratings. Using quantitative meta-analyses, we report common and distinct brain areas that show concordance as a function of category. Specifically, concordance in ventromedial prefrontal regions is distinct to social norm representation processing, whereas concordance in right insula, dorsolateral prefrontal, and dorsal cingulate cortices is distinct to norm violation processing. We propose a neurocognitive model of social norms for healthy adults, which could help guide future research in social norm compliance and mechanisms of its enforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Zinchenko
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Marie Arsalidou
- Department of Psychology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Canada
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23
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Firat RB, Hitlin S, Magnotta V, Tranel D. Putting race in context: social class modulates processing of race in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:1314-1324. [PMID: 28398590 PMCID: PMC5597864 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of literature demonstrates that racial group membership can influence neural responses, e.g. when individuals perceive or interact with persons of another race. However, little attention has been paid to social class, a factor that interacts with racial inequalities in American society. We extend previous literature on race-related neural activity by focusing on how the human brain responds to racial out-groups cast in positively valued social class positions vs less valued ones. We predicted that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the amygdala would have functionally dissociable roles, with the vmPFC playing a more significant role within socially valued in-groups (i.e. the middle-class) and the amygdala having a more crucial role for socially ambivalent and threatening categories (i.e. upper and lower class). We tested these predictions with two complementary studies: (i) a neuropsychological experiment with patients with the vmPFC or amygdala lesions, contrasted with brain damaged and normal comparison participants, and (ii) a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment with 15 healthy adults. Our findings suggest that two distinct mechanisms underlie class-based racial evaluations, one engaging the vmPFC for positively identified in-group class and another recruiting the amygdala for the class groups that are marginalized or perceived as potential threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rengin B. Firat
- Global Studies Institute
- Petit Science Center, Neuroscience Institute
- Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Steven Hitlin
- Department of Sociology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Vincent Magnotta
- Department of Radiology
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1402 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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24
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Fernandes S, Kapoor H, Karandikar S. Do We Gossip for Moral Reasons? The Intersection of Moral Foundations and Gossip. BASIC AND APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2017.1336713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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25
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Garrigan B, Adlam ALR, Langdon PE. The neural correlates of moral decision-making: A systematic review and meta-analysis of moral evaluations and response decision judgements. Brain Cogn 2017; 108:88-97. [PMID: 27566002 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this systematic review were to determine: (a) which brain areas are consistently more active when making (i) moral response decisions, defined as choosing a response to a moral dilemma, or deciding whether to accept a proposed solution, or (ii) moral evaluations, defined as judging the appropriateness of another's actions in a moral dilemma, rating moral statements as right or wrong, or identifying important moral issues; and (b) shared and significantly different activation patterns for these two types of moral judgements. A systematic search of the literature returned 28 experiments. Activation likelihood estimate analysis identified the brain areas commonly more active for moral response decisions and for moral evaluations. Conjunction analysis revealed shared activation for both types of moral judgement in the left middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and medial frontal gyrus. Contrast analyses found no significant clusters of increased activation for the moral evaluations-moral response decisions contrast, but found that moral response decisions additionally activated the left and right middle temporal gyrus and the right precuneus. Making one's own moral decisions involves different brain areas compared to judging the moral actions of others, implying that these judgements may involve different processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverley Garrigan
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
| | - Anna L R Adlam
- School of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Peter E Langdon
- Tizard Centre, University of Kent, United Kingdom; Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust - Norfolk, United Kingdom.
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26
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Individual differences in the early recognition of moral information in lexical processing: An event-related potential study. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1475. [PMID: 28469271 PMCID: PMC5431227 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01623-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that intuitive moral cognition occurs at an early stage. However, inconsistent findings indicate that moral information is recognized at a relatively late stage. This study uses the recognition potential (RP) as a neural index and simultaneously measures individuals' moral preferences using the Moral Foundation Questionnaire. We aim to investigate how individual differences in moral preferences modulate the processing of morality in the pre-semantic stage and provide some insights to explain the variation in rapid information processing linked to morality. The participants performed an implicit task in which recognizable words depicting geographical names or behaviors related to moral, disgusting or neutral content alternated with background stimuli at high rates of presentation. The results showed that the early recognition of moral information manifested in the RP depended on an individual's moral concerns. Participants with a higher level of endorsement of the harm/care foundation exhibited a greater net moral effect, namely, greater mean amplitudes of the moral-neutral RP difference waves. Meanwhile, only the group that was more sensitive to the harm/care foundation showed a distinctively larger RP for the moral words than for the neutral words. Overall, these findings suggest that the early processing of moral cognition may hinge on individual differences in moral concerns about other people's suffering.
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27
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The impacts of Val158Met in Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene on moral permissibility and empathic concern. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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28
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Hubers F, Snijders TM, de Hoop H. How the brain processes violations of the grammatical norm: An fMRI study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2016; 163:22-31. [PMID: 27639117 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Native speakers of Dutch do not always adhere to prescriptive grammar rules in their daily speech. These grammatical norm violations can elicit emotional reactions in language purists, mostly high-educated people, who claim that for them these constructions are truly ungrammatical. However, linguists generally assume that grammatical norm violations are in fact truly grammatical, especially when they occur frequently in a language. In an fMRI study we investigated the processing of grammatical norm violations in the brains of language purists, and compared them with truly grammatical and truly ungrammatical sentences. Grammatical norm violations were found to be unique in that their processing resembled not only the processing of truly grammatical sentences (in left medial Superior Frontal Gyrus and Angular Gyrus), but also that of truly ungrammatical sentences (in Inferior Frontal Gyrus), despite what theories of grammar would usually lead us to believe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdy Hubers
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Tineke M Snijders
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Helen de Hoop
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Jung WH, Prehn K, Fang Z, Korczykowski M, Kable JW, Rao H, Robertson DC. Moral competence and brain connectivity: A resting-state fMRI study. Neuroimage 2016; 141:408-415. [PMID: 27456537 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Moral competence (MC) refers to the ability to apply certain moral orientations in a consistent and differentiated manner when judging moral issues. People greatly differ in terms of MC, however, little is known about how these differences are implemented in the brain. To investigate this question, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and examined resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in n=31 individuals with MC scores in the highest 15% of the population and n=33 individuals with MC scores in the lowest 15%, selected from a large sample of 730 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. Compared to individuals with lower MC, individuals with higher MC showed greater amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal connectivity, which may reflect better ability to cope with emotional conflicts elicited by moral dilemmas. Moreover, individuals with higher MC showed less inter-network connectivity between the amygdalar and fronto-parietal networks, suggesting a more independent operation of these networks. Our findings provide novel insights into how individual differences in moral judgment are associated with RSFC in brain circuits related to emotion processing and cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wi Hoon Jung
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Kristin Prehn
- Department of Neurology & NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Zhuo Fang
- Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Marc Korczykowski
- Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Joseph W Kable
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Hengyi Rao
- Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Diana C Robertson
- Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
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von Grundherr M, Geisler A, Stoiber M, Schäfer M. School Bullying and Moral Reasoning Competence. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Patil I, Young L, Sinay V, Gleichgerrcht E. Elevated moral condemnation of third-party violations in multiple sclerosis patients. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:308-329. [DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1175380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Boccia M, Dacquino C, Piccardi L, Cordellieri P, Guariglia C, Ferlazzo F, Ferracuti S, Giannini AM. Neural foundation of human moral reasoning: an ALE meta-analysis about the role of personal perspective. Brain Imaging Behav 2016; 11:278-292. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-016-9505-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Han H, Chen J, Jeong C, Glover GH. Influence of the cortical midline structures on moral emotion and motivation in moral decision-making. Behav Brain Res 2016; 302:237-51. [PMID: 26772629 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The present study aims to examine the relationship between the cortical midline structures (CMS), which have been regarded to be associated with selfhood, and moral decision making processes at the neural level. Traditional moral psychological studies have suggested the role of moral self as the moderator of moral cognition, so activity of moral self would present at the neural level. The present study examined the interaction between the CMS and other moral-related regions by conducting psycho-physiological interaction analysis of functional images acquired while 16 subjects were solving moral dilemmas. Furthermore, we performed Granger causality analysis to demonstrate the direction of influences between activities in the regions in moral decision-making. We first demonstrate there are significant positive interactions between two central CMS seed regions-i.e., the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)-and brain regions associated with moral functioning including the cerebellum, brainstem, midbrain, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and anterior insula (AI); on the other hand, the posterior insula (PI) showed significant negative interaction with the seed regions. Second, several significant Granger causality was found from CMS to insula regions particularly under the moral-personal condition. Furthermore, significant dominant influence from the AI to PI was reported. Moral psychological implications of these findings are discussed. The present study demonstrated the significant interaction and influence between the CMS and morality-related regions while subject were solving moral dilemmas. Given that, activity in the CMS is significantly involved in human moral functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyemin Han
- Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, CA, USA.
| | - Jingyuan Chen
- Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
| | - Changwoo Jeong
- Department of Ethics Education, College of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Gary H Glover
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, CA, USA
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Li X, Yang J, Li P, Li H. Individual differences in moral judgment competence are related to activity of the prefrontal cortex when attributing blame to evil intention. Soc Neurosci 2015; 11:438-48. [PMID: 26569419 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2015.1093960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The weighing of intentions and consequences is inconsistent in adult's moral judgments, and this is particularly prominent when assigning blame to the immoral intentions in the absence of negative outcomes. The current study extends previous research by examining how individual differences in moral judgment competence are reflected in the cortical network when making judgments about immoral intentions. Twenty-four participants were scanned, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while making judgments about three kinds of moral scenarios: a neutral condition, an immoral intention condition, and an immoral condition. The result showed that comparing with making judgments about the other two conditions, making judgments about the immoral intentions takes longer time and was associated with significantly elevated activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Additionally, moral judgment competence scores were inversely correlated with activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex when assigning blame to the immoral intentions. Greater activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in participants with lower moral judgment competence possibly reflected increased recruitment of cognitive resource applied to control impulsive response and integrate competitive information in making judgments about the immoral intention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Li
- a Students' Affairs Division , Chongqing Normal University , Chongqing , China.,b Faculty of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Juan Yang
- b Faculty of Psychology , Southwest University , Chongqing , China
| | - Peng Li
- c Research Center for Brain Function and Psychological Science , Shenzhen University , Shenzhen , China
| | - Hong Li
- c Research Center for Brain Function and Psychological Science , Shenzhen University , Shenzhen , China
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Carr AR, Paholpak P, Daianu M, Fong SS, Mather M, Jimenez EE, Thompson P, Mendez MF. An investigation of care-based vs. rule-based morality in frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and healthy controls. Neuropsychologia 2015; 78:73-9. [PMID: 26432341 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral changes in dementia, especially behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), may result in alterations in moral reasoning. Investigators have not clarified whether these alterations reflect differential impairment of care-based vs. rule-based moral behavior. This study investigated 18 bvFTD patients, 22 early onset Alzheimer's disease (eAD) patients, and 20 healthy age-matched controls on care-based and rule-based items from the Moral Behavioral Inventory and the Social Norms Questionnaire, neuropsychological measures, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) regions of interest. There were significant group differences with the bvFTD patients rating care-based morality transgressions less severely than the eAD group and rule-based moral behavioral transgressions more severely than controls. Across groups, higher care-based morality ratings correlated with phonemic fluency on neuropsychological tests, whereas higher rule-based morality ratings correlated with increased difficulty set-shifting and learning new rules to tasks. On neuroimaging, severe care-based reasoning correlated with cortical volume in right anterior temporal lobe, and rule-based reasoning correlated with decreased cortical volume in the right orbitofrontal cortex. Together, these findings suggest that frontotemporal disease decreases care-based morality and facilitates rule-based morality possibly from disturbed contextual abstraction and set-shifting. Future research can examine whether frontal lobe disorders and bvFTD result in a shift from empathic morality to the strong adherence to conventional rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Carr
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Pongsatorn Paholpak
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Khon Kaen University, Khon Khaen, Thailand
| | - Madelaine Daianu
- Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sylvia S Fong
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Mather
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Elvira E Jimenez
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Paul Thompson
- Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mario F Mendez
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Caldwell BM, Harenski CL, Harenski KA, Fede SJ, Steele VR, Koenigs MR, Kiehl KA. Abnormal frontostriatal activity in recently abstinent cocaine users during implicit moral processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:565. [PMID: 26528169 PMCID: PMC4608360 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations into the neurobiology of moral cognition are often done by examining clinical populations characterized by diminished moral emotions and a proclivity toward immoral behavior. Psychopathy is the most common disorder studied for this purpose. Although cocaine abuse is highly co-morbid with psychopathy and cocaine-dependent individuals exhibit many of the same abnormalities in socio-affective processing as psychopaths, this population has received relatively little attention in moral psychology. To address this issue, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record hemodynamic activity in 306 incarcerated male adults, stratified into regular cocaine users (n = 87) and a matched sample of non-cocaine users (n = 87), while viewing pictures that did or did not depict immoral actions and determining whether each depicted scenario occurred indoors or outdoors. Consistent with expectations, cocaine users showed abnormal neural activity in several frontostriatial regions during implicit moral picture processing compared to their non-cocaine using peers. This included reduced moral/non-moral picture discrimination in the vACC, vmPFC, lOFC, and left vSTR. Additionally, psychopathy was negatively correlated with activity in an overlapping region of the ACC and right lateralized vSTR. These results suggest that regular cocaine abuse may be associated with affective deficits which can impact relatively high-level processes like moral cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan M. Caldwell
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Carla L. Harenski
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Keith A. Harenski
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Samantha J. Fede
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Vaughn R. Steele
- Intramural Research Program, Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of HealthBaltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael R. Koenigs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI, USA
| | - Kent A. Kiehl
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research InstituteAlbuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM, USA
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From Blame to Punishment: Disrupting Prefrontal Cortex Activity Reveals Norm Enforcement Mechanisms. Neuron 2015; 87:1369-1380. [PMID: 26386518 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The social welfare provided by cooperation depends on the enforcement of social norms. Determining blameworthiness and assigning a deserved punishment are two cognitive cornerstones of norm enforcement. Although prior work has implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in norm-based judgments, the relative contribution of this region to blameworthiness and punishment decisions remains poorly understood. Here, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and fMRI to determine the specific role of DLPFC function in norm-enforcement behavior. DLPFC rTMS reduced punishment for wrongful acts without affecting blameworthiness ratings, and fMRI revealed punishment-selective DLPFC recruitment, suggesting that these two facets of norm-based decision making are neurobiologically dissociable. Finally, we show that DLPFC rTMS affects punishment decision making by altering the integration of information about culpability and harm. Together, these findings reveal a selective, causal role for DLPFC in norm enforcement: representational integration of the distinct information streams used to make punishment decisions.
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Neural correlates of post-conventional moral reasoning: a voxel-based morphometry study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122914. [PMID: 26039547 PMCID: PMC4454660 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Going back to Kohlberg, moral development research affirms that people progress through different stages of moral reasoning as cognitive abilities mature. Individuals at a lower level of moral reasoning judge moral issues mainly based on self-interest (personal interests schema) or based on adherence to laws and rules (maintaining norms schema), whereas individuals at the post-conventional level judge moral issues based on deeper principles and shared ideals. However, the extent to which moral development is reflected in structural brain architecture remains unknown. To investigate this question, we used voxel-based morphometry and examined the brain structure in a sample of 67 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. Subjects completed the Defining Issues Test (DIT-2) which measures moral development in terms of cognitive schema preference. Results demonstrate that subjects at the post-conventional level of moral reasoning were characterized by increased gray matter volume in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, compared with subjects at a lower level of moral reasoning. Our findings support an important role for both cognitive and emotional processes in moral reasoning and provide first evidence for individual differences in brain structure according to the stages of moral reasoning first proposed by Kohlberg decades ago.
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Kuehne M, Heimrath K, Heinze HJ, Zaehle T. Transcranial direct current stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex shifts preference of moral judgments. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127061. [PMID: 25985442 PMCID: PMC4436128 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Attitude to morality, reflecting cultural norms and values, is considered unique to human social behavior. Resulting moral behavior in a social environment is controlled by a widespread neural network including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which plays an important role in decision making. In the present study we investigate the influence of neurophysiological modulation of DLPFC reactivity by means of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on moral reasoning. For that purpose we administered anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation of the left DLPFC while subjects judged the appropriateness of hard moral personal dilemmas. In contrast to sham and cathodal stimulation, anodal stimulation induced a shift in judgment of personal moral dilemmas towards more non-utilitarian actions. Our results demonstrate that alterations of left DLPFC activity can change moral judgments and, in consequence, provide a causal link between left DLPFC activity and moral reasoning. Most important, the observed shift towards non-utilitarian actions suggests that moral decision making is not a permanent individual trait but can be manipulated; consequently individuals with boundless, uncontrollable, and maladaptive moral behavior, such as found in psychopathy, might benefit from neuromodulation-based approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kuehne
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kai Heimrath
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Jochen Heinze
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Gainotti G. Is the difference between right and left ATLs due to the distinction between general and social cognition or between verbal and non-verbal representations? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 51:296-312. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Revised: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Han H. Virtue ethics, positive psychology, and a new model of science and engineering ethics education. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2015; 21:441-460. [PMID: 24691813 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-014-9539-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This essay develops a new conceptual framework of science and engineering ethics education based on virtue ethics and positive psychology. Virtue ethicists and positive psychologists have argued that current rule-based moral philosophy, psychology, and education cannot effectively promote students' moral motivation for actual moral behavior and may even lead to negative outcomes, such as moral schizophrenia. They have suggested that their own theoretical framework of virtue ethics and positive psychology can contribute to the effective promotion of motivation for self-improvement by connecting the notion of morality and eudaimonic happiness. Thus this essay attempts to apply virtue ethics and positive psychology to science and engineering ethics education and to develop a new conceptual framework for more effective education. In addition to the conceptual-level work, this essay suggests two possible educational methods: moral modeling and involvement in actual moral activity in science and engineering ethics classes, based on the conceptual framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyemin Han
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA,
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Melchers M, Markett S, Montag C, Trautner P, Weber B, Lachmann B, Buss P, Heinen R, Reuter M. Reality TV and vicarious embarrassment: An fMRI study. Neuroimage 2015; 109:109-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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Nasr S, Stemmann H, Vanduffel W, Tootell RBH. Increased Visual Stimulation Systematically Decreases Activity in Lateral Intermediate Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:4009-28. [PMID: 25480358 PMCID: PMC4585529 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have attributed multiple diverse roles to the posterior superior temporal cortex (STC), both visually driven and cognitive, including part of the default mode network (DMN). Here, we demonstrate a unifying property across this multimodal region. Specifically, the lateral intermediate (LIM) portion of STC showed an unexpected feature: a progressively decreasing fMRI response to increases in visual stimulus size (or number). Such responses are reversed in sign, relative to well-known responses in classic occipital temporal visual cortex. In LIM, this "reversed" size function was present across multiple object categories and retinotopic eccentricities. Moreover, we found a significant interaction between the LIM size function and the distribution of subjects' attention. These findings suggest that LIM serves as a part of the DMN. Further analysis of functional connectivity, plus a meta-analysis of previous fMRI results, suggests that LIM is a heterogeneous area including different subdivisions. Surprisingly, analogous fMRI tests in macaque monkeys did not reveal a clear homolog of LIM. This interspecies discrepancy supports the idea that self-referential thinking and theory of mind are more prominent in humans, compared with monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Nasr
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Heiko Stemmann
- Laboratory of Neuro and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Laboratory of Neuro and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roger B H Tootell
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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44
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The neural bases for valuing social equality. Neurosci Res 2014; 90:33-40. [PMID: 25452125 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2014.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Revised: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The neural basis of how humans value and pursue social equality has become a major topic in social neuroscience research. Although recent studies have identified a set of brain regions and possible mechanisms that are involved in the neural processing of equality of outcome between individuals, how the human brain processes equality of opportunity remains unknown. In this review article, first we describe the importance of the distinction between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity, which has been emphasized in philosophy and economics. Next, we discuss possible approaches for empirical characterization of human valuation of equality of opportunity vs. equality of outcome. Understanding how these two concepts are distinct and interact with each other may provide a better explanation of complex human behaviors concerning fairness and social equality.
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Wang F, Kessels HW, Hu H. The mouse that roared: neural mechanisms of social hierarchy. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:674-82. [PMID: 25160682 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Hierarchical social status greatly influences behavior and health. Human and animal studies have begun to identify the brain regions that are activated during the formation of social hierarchies. They point towards the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a central regulator, with brain areas upstream of the PFC conveying information about social status, and downstream brain regions executing dominance behavior. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the neural circuits that control social status. We discuss how the neural mechanisms for various types of dominance behavior can be studied in laboratory rodents by selective manipulation of neuronal activity or synaptic plasticity. These studies may help in finding the cause of social stress-related mental and physical health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Helmut W Kessels
- The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, The Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam 1019 RG, The Netherlands.
| | - Hailan Hu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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Investigating socio-cognitive processes in deception: A quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychologia 2014; 61:113-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Social equality in the number of choice options is represented in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. J Neurosci 2014; 34:6413-21. [PMID: 24790211 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4427-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A distinct aspect of the sense of fairness in humans is that we care not only about equality in material rewards but also about equality in nonmaterial values. One such value is the opportunity to choose freely among many options, often regarded as a fundamental right to economic freedom. In modern developed societies, equal opportunities in work, living, and lifestyle are enforced by antidiscrimination laws. Despite the widespread endorsement of equal opportunity, no studies have explored how people assign value to it. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural substrates for subjective valuation of equality in choice opportunity. Participants performed a two-person choice task in which the number of choices available was varied across trials independently of choice outcomes. By using this procedure, we manipulated the degree of equality in choice opportunity between players and dissociated it from the value of reward outcomes and their equality. We found that activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) tracked the degree to which the number of options between the two players was equal. In contrast, activation in the ventral striatum tracked the number of options available to participants themselves but not the equality between players. Our results demonstrate that the vmPFC, a key brain region previously implicated in the processing of social values, is also involved in valuation of equality in choice opportunity between individuals. These findings may provide valuable insight into the human ability to value equal opportunity, a characteristic long emphasized in politics, economics, and philosophy.
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48
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Jeurissen D, Sack AT, Roebroeck A, Russ BE, Pascual-Leone A. TMS affects moral judgment, showing the role of DLPFC and TPJ in cognitive and emotional processing. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:18. [PMID: 24592204 PMCID: PMC3923146 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Decision-making involves a complex interplay of emotional responses and reasoning processes. In this study, we use TMS to explore the neurobiological substrates of moral decisions in humans. To examining the effects of TMS on the outcome of a moral-decision, we compare the decision outcome of moral-personal and moral-impersonal dilemmas to each other and examine the differential effects of applying TMS over the right DLPFC or right TPJ. In this comparison, we find that the TMS-induced disruption of the DLPFC during the decision process, affects the outcome of the moral-personal judgment, while TMS-induced disruption of TPJ affects only moral-impersonal conditions. In other words, we find a double-dissociation between DLPFC and TPJ in the outcome of a moral decision. Furthermore, we find that TMS-induced disruption of the DLPFC during non-moral, moral-impersonal, and moral-personal decisions lead to lower ratings of regret about the decision. Our results are in line with the dual-process theory and suggest a role for both the emotional response and cognitive reasoning process in moral judgment. Both the emotional and cognitive processes were shown to be involved in the decision outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danique Jeurissen
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Alard Roebroeck
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Brian E Russ
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
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49
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Cultural influences on the neural correlate of moral decision making processes. Behav Brain Res 2014; 259:215-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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50
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Van Overwalle F, Baetens K, Mariën P, Vandekerckhove M. Social cognition and the cerebellum: a meta-analysis of over 350 fMRI studies. Neuroimage 2013; 86:554-72. [PMID: 24076206 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 306] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
This meta-analysis explores the role of the cerebellum in social cognition. Recent meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies since 2008 demonstrate that the cerebellum is only marginally involved in social cognition and emotionality, with a few meta-analyses pointing to an involvement of at most 54% of the individual studies. In this study, novel meta-analyses of over 350 fMRI studies, dividing up the domain of social cognition in homogeneous subdomains, confirmed this low involvement of the cerebellum in conditions that trigger the mirror network (e.g., when familiar movements of body parts are observed) and the mentalizing network (when no moving body parts or unfamiliar movements are present). There is, however, one set of mentalizing conditions that strongly involve the cerebellum in 50-100% of the individual studies. In particular, when the level of abstraction is high, such as when behaviors are described in terms of traits or permanent characteristics, in terms of groups rather than individuals, in terms of the past (episodic autobiographic memory) or the future rather than the present, or in terms of hypothetical events that may happen. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis conducted in this study reveals that the cerebellum is critically implicated in social cognition and that the areas of the cerebellum which are consistently involved in social cognitive processes show extensive overlap with the areas involved in sensorimotor (during mirror and self-judgments tasks) as well as in executive functioning (across all tasks). We discuss the role of the cerebellum in social cognition in general and in higher abstraction mentalizing in particular. We also point out a number of methodological limitations of some available studies on the social brain that hamper the detection of cerebellar activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter Mariën
- Faculty of Arts, Department of Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Neurology and Memory Clinic, ZNA Middelheim Hospital, Lindendreef 1, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marie Vandekerckhove
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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