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Zheng Y, Shi P, Deng L, Jiang H, Zhou S. Contextual valence influences the neural dynamics of time and magnitude representation during feedback evaluation. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14335. [PMID: 37194930 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Contextual valence is an important dimension during value-based decision-making. Previous research has revealed behavioral and neural asymmetries between the gain context and the loss context. The present event-related potential study investigated the effects of contextual valence on neural dynamics underlying magnitude and time, two important reward dimensions, during feedback evaluation. Forty-two participants performed a simple guessing task in which they experienced both a gain context wherein high or low rewards were delivered immediately or six months later, and a loss context wherein high or low losses were delivered in the same way. Results showed that in the gain context, time and magnitude information were processed in a parallel way during the time windows of the reward positivity (RewP) and the P3. In the loss context, however, time and magnitude information were processed in a serial way such that time information was encoded during the RewP and P3 periods, whereas magnitude information was not tracked until the time window of the late positive potential. Our findings suggest that the neural dynamics underlying time and magnitude information are distinct between the gain and loss contexts, thus providing a novel perspective for the well-known gain-loss asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Puyu Shi
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Leyou Deng
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Huiping Jiang
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shiyu Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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2
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Chew SH, Ebstein RP, Tolomeo S, Zhou Y. Editorial: Decision neuroscience of attention. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1223299. [PMID: 37746150 PMCID: PMC10513097 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1223299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Soo Hong Chew
- CCBEF (China Center for Behavior Economics and Finance) & SOE (School of Economics), Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Richard P. Ebstein
- CCBEF (China Center for Behavior Economics and Finance) & SOE (School of Economics), Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Serenella Tolomeo
- Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
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3
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Molins F, Sahin F, Serrano MÁ. The Genetics of Risk Aversion: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14307. [PMID: 36361187 PMCID: PMC9657847 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Risk and loss aversion are phenomena with an important influence on decision-making, especially in economic contexts. At present, it remains unclear whether both are related, as well as whether they could have an emotional origin. The objective of this review, following the PRISMA statements, is to find consistencies in the genetic bases of risk and loss aversion with the aim of understanding their nature and shedding light on the above issues. A total of 23 empirical research met the inclusion criteria and were included from PubMed and ScienceDirect. All of them reported genetic measures from human samples and studied risk and loss aversion within an economic framework. The results for risk aversion, although with many limitations, attributed mainly to their heterogeneity and the lack of control in the studies, point to the implication of multiple polymorphisms related to the regulation of the serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways. In general, studies found the highest levels of risk aversion were associated with alleles that are linked to lower (higher) sensitivity or levels of dopamine (serotonin). For loss aversion, the scarcity of results prevents us from drawing clear conclusions, although the limited evidence seems to point in the same direction as for risk aversion. Therefore, it seems that risk aversion could have a stable genetical base which, in turn, is closely linked to emotions, but more research is needed to answer whether this phenomenon is related to loss aversion, as well as if the latter could also have an emotional origin. We also provide recommendations for future studies on genetics and economic behavior.
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4
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Palumbo S, Mariotti V, Vellucci S, Antonelli K, Anderson N, Harenski C, Pietrini P, Kiehl KA, Pellegrini S. ANKK1 and TH gene variants in combination with paternal maltreatment increase susceptibility to both cognitive and attentive impulsivity. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:868804. [PMID: 35935430 PMCID: PMC9352854 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.868804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent scientific findings suggest that dopamine exerts a central role on impulsivity, as well as that aversive life experiences may promote the high levels of impulsivity that often underlie violent behavior. To deepen our understanding of the complex gene by environment interplay on impulsive behavior, we genotyped six dopaminergic allelic variants (ANKK1-rs1800497, TH-rs6356, DRD4-rs1800955, DRD4-exonIII-VNTR, SLC6A3-VNTR and COMT-rs4680) in 655 US White male inmates convicted for violent crimes, whose impulsivity was assessed by BIS-11 (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale). Furthermore, in a subsample of 216 inmates from the whole group, we also explored the potential interplay between the genotyped dopaminergic variants and parental maltreatment measured by MOPS (Measure of Parental Style) in promoting impulsivity. We found a significant interaction among paternal MOPS scores, ANKK1-rs1800497-T allele and TH-rs6356-A allele, which increased the variance of BIS-11 cognitive/attentive scores explained by paternal maltreatment from 1.8 up to 20.5%. No direct association between any of the individual genetic variants and impulsivity was observed. Our data suggest that paternal maltreatment increases the risk of attentive/cognitive impulsivity and that this risk is higher in carriers of specific dopaminergic alleles that potentiate the dopaminergic neurotransmission. These findings add further evidence to the mutual role that genetics and early environmental factors exert in modulating human behavior and highlight the importance of childhood care interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Palumbo
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Veronica Mariotti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Vellucci
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Klizia Antonelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nathaniel Anderson
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Carla Harenski
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Pietro Pietrini
- Molecular Mind Lab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Kent A Kiehl
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Silvia Pellegrini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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5
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Presynaptic dopamine function measured with [ 18F]fluorodopa and L-DOPA effects on impulsive choice. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17927. [PMID: 31784559 PMCID: PMC6884626 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54329-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that L-DOPA effects on reward-based decision-making in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study were consistent with an inverted U-shaped function whereby both low and high extremes of dopamine signaling are associated with high-impulsive choice. To test this hypothesis, we performed [18F]DOPA positron emission tomography in 60 of the 87 participants in that study, and measured the effective distribution volume ratio (EDVR) of [18F]DOPA influx rate to [18F]dopamine washout rate, an index of presynaptic dopaminergic function. Participants with higher baseline EDVR self-reported lower impulsivity, and discounted rewards as a function of delay more strongly after receiving L-DOPA, whereas the opposite was detected for those with lower baseline EDVR. Our findings support a relationship of striatal dopaminergic activity to trait impulsivity, and the view that there is a non-linear, possibly inverted U-shaped relationship of striatal dopaminergic function with delay discounting. Individuals with optimal dopamine signaling would become more impulsive when receiving dopamine-enhancing drugs, whereas those with suboptimal dopaminergic signaling would benefit and exhibit less impulsive choice. Consideration of differences in endogenous dopamine signaling and possibly also other neurotransmitter activity may be crucial to advance understanding of the neurobiochemical mechanisms of impulsive decision-making and related mental disorders.
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6
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Mei S, Yi W, Zhou S, Liu X, Zheng Y. Contextual valence modulates the effect of choice on incentive processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 13:1249-1258. [PMID: 30395334 PMCID: PMC6277738 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that reward-related neural activity is enhanced for choice relative to no-choice opportunities in the gain context. The current event-related potential study examined whether this modulatory effect of choice can be observed in both the gain and the loss contexts across anticipatory and consummatory phases of incentive processing. Thirty-two participants performed a simple choice task during which choices were made either by themselves (a choice condition) or by a computer (a no-choice condition) during a gain context (gain vs nongain) and a loss context (nonloss vs loss). Behaviorally, participants reported a higher level of perceived control in the choice than the no-choice condition as well as in the gain than loss context. During the anticipatory phase, the choice relative to the no-choice condition elicited an increased cue-P3 in the loss context and an enhanced stimulus-preceding negativity in the gain context. During the consummatory phase, the choice condition elicited a larger reward positivity (ΔRewP) than the no-choice condition in the gain relative to the loss context but a comparable feedback P3 across contexts. These findings demonstrate that the crucial role of voluntary choice in reward processing is contingent upon contextual valence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Mei
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Wei Yi
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shiyu Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Ya Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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7
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Petzold J, Kienast A, Lee Y, Pooseh S, London ED, Goschke T, Smolka MN. Baseline impulsivity may moderate L-DOPA effects on value-based decision-making. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5652. [PMID: 30948756 PMCID: PMC6449394 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42124-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has indicated a major role of dopamine in decision-making processes, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown due to inconsistency in effects of dopaminergic drugs. To clarify the impact of dopamine on impulsive choice, we administered 150 mg L-DOPA to 87 healthy adults in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, evaluating performance in four value-based decision-making tasks. We predicted that baseline impulsivity would moderate L-DOPA effects. In support of our hypothesis, L-DOPA had no main effect on impulsive choice, but reduced risk-seeking for gains in more-impulsive subjects. Because L-DOPA effects may be influenced by body weight, we repeated our analyses on data from half of the sample (n = 44) with lower weight, anticipating a stronger effect. In addition to the effect on risk-seeking for gains, low-weight participants also exhibited baseline-dependent effects of L-DOPA on loss aversion and delay discounting. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of an inverted U-shaped dopamine function in which both low and high extremes of dopamine signaling are associated with high-impulsive choice. Consideration of differential baseline impulsivity and body weight may resolve previous seemingly paradoxical pharmacological results and might deepen our understanding of dopaminergic mechanisms underlying impulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Petzold
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annika Kienast
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ying Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Shakoor Pooseh
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Freiburg Center for Data Analysis and Modeling, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Edythe D London
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and the Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Goschke
- Department of Psychology and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael N Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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8
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Neukam PT, Kroemer NB, Deza Araujo YI, Hellrung L, Pooseh S, Rietschel M, Witt SH, Schwarzenbolz U, Henle T, Smolka MN. Risk-seeking for losses is associated with 5-HTTLPR, but not with transient changes in 5-HT levels. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:2151-2165. [PMID: 29730700 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4913-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Serotonin (5-HT) plays a key role in different aspects of value-based decision-making. A recent framework proposed that tonic 5-HT (together with dopamine, DA) codes future average reward expectations, providing a baseline against which possible choice outcomes are compared to guide decision-making. OBJECTIVES To test whether high 5-HT levels decrease loss aversion, risk-seeking for gains, and risk-seeking for losses. METHODS In a first session, 611 participants were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR and performed a mixed gambles (MGA) task and two probability discounting tasks for gains and losses, respectively (PDG/PDL). Afterwards, a subsample of 105 participants (44 with S/S, 6 with S/L, 55 with L/L genotype) completed the pharmacological study using a crossover design with tryptophan depletion (ATD), loading (ATL), and balanced (BAL) conditions. The same decision constructs were assessed. RESULTS We found increased risk-seeking for losses in S/S compared to L/L individuals at the first visit (p = 0.002). Neither tryptophan depletion nor loading affected decision-making, nor did we observe an interaction between intervention and 5-HTTLPR genotype. CONCLUSION Our data do not support the idea that transient changes of tonic 5-HT affect value-based decision-making. We provide evidence for an association of 5-HTTLPR with risk-seeking for losses, independent of acute 5-HT levels. This indicates that the association of 5-HTTLPR and risk-seeking for losses is mediated via other mechanisms, possibly by differences in the structural development of neural circuits of the 5-HT system during early life phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp T Neukam
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yacila I Deza Araujo
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lydia Hellrung
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Shakoor Pooseh
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Uwe Schwarzenbolz
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Henle
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael N Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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9
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Dopaminergic Drug Effects on Probability Weighting during Risky Decision Making. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0330-17. [PMID: 29632870 PMCID: PMC5889481 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0330-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine has been associated with risky decision-making, as well as with pathological gambling, a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive risk-taking behavior. However, the specific mechanisms through which dopamine might act to foster risk-taking and pathological gambling remain elusive. Here we test the hypothesis that this might be achieved, in part, via modulation of subjective probability weighting during decision making. Human healthy controls (n = 21) and pathological gamblers (n = 16) played a decision-making task involving choices between sure monetary options and risky gambles both in the gain and loss domains. Each participant played the task twice, either under placebo or the dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist sulpiride, in a double-blind counterbalanced design. A prospect theory modelling approach was used to estimate subjective probability weighting and sensitivity to monetary outcomes. Consistent with prospect theory, we found that participants presented a distortion in the subjective weighting of probabilities, i.e., they overweighted low probabilities and underweighted moderate to high probabilities, both in the gain and loss domains. Compared with placebo, sulpiride attenuated this distortion in the gain domain. Across drugs, the groups did not differ in their probability weighting, although gamblers consistently underweighted losing probabilities in the placebo condition. Overall, our results reveal that dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonism modulates the subjective weighting of probabilities in the gain domain, in the direction of more objective, economically rational decision making.
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10
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Lundwall RA, Sgro J, Wade T. SLC6A3 Is Associated With Relational Aggression in Children. JOURNAL OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.1027/1614-0001/a000239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Understanding the genetic influence on aggressive behavior in children is one way to understand pathways to the development of aggression in adults. While aggression is likely under some environmental influence, it is also likely under some genetic influence. Overt aggression associates with a variety of genes including dopaminergic and serotonergic genes. Dopaminergic and serotonergic genes are known to be associated with overt aggression. However, little is known regarding the genetic pathways associated with relational aggression. Detecting genetic associates of relational aggression is important to eventually understand pathways to socially aggressive behaviors in children. Therefore, we attempted to determine if relational aggression was also associated with dopaminergic and serotonergic genes. We invited the parents of 327 children to complete a modified version of the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ-P), which has a subscale for relational aggression. We used logistic regression models that predicted relational aggression after controlling for covariates. One genetic predictor was added at a time until there was no model improvement. The covariates were overt aggression scores obtained from the HBQ-P and age. The final (best) model included as a significant predictor of relational aggression one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on SLC6A3 (rs2617605) and the covariates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jordan Sgro
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Tyson Wade
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
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11
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Abstract
Neurofinance is a relatively new area of research that strives to understand financial decision making by combining insights from psychology and neuroscience with theories of finance. Using behavioral experiments, neurofinance studies how we evaluate information about financial options that are uncertain, time-constrained, risky, and strategic in nature and how financial decisions are influenced by emotions, psychological biases, stress, and individual differences (such as gender, genes, neuroanatomy, and personality). In addition, it studies how the brain processes financial information and how individual decisions arise within it. Finally, by combining these experiments with computational models, neurofinance aims to provide an alternative explanation for the apparent failure of classic finance theories. Here we provide an introduction to neurofinance and look at how it is rooted in different fields of study. We review early findings and implications and conclude with open questions in neurofinance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa A. Miendlarzewska
- Geneva Finance Research Institute, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Interfaculty Center for Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Kerstin Preuschoff
- Geneva Finance Research Institute, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Interfaculty Center for Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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12
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Pellegrini S, Palumbo S, Iofrida C, Melissari E, Rota G, Mariotti V, Anastasio T, Manfrinati A, Rumiati R, Lotto L, Sarlo M, Pietrini P. Genetically-Driven Enhancement of Dopaminergic Transmission Affects Moral Acceptability in Females but Not in Males: A Pilot Study. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:156. [PMID: 28900390 PMCID: PMC5581873 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Moral behavior has been a key topic of debate for philosophy and psychology for a long time. In recent years, thanks to the development of novel methodologies in cognitive sciences, the question of how we make moral choices has expanded to the study of neurobiological correlates that subtend the mental processes involved in moral behavior. For instance, in vivo brain imaging studies have shown that distinct patterns of brain neural activity, associated with emotional response and cognitive processes, are involved in moral judgment. Moreover, while it is well-known that responses to the same moral dilemmas differ across individuals, to what extent this variability may be rooted in genetics still remains to be understood. As dopamine is a key modulator of neural processes underlying executive functions, we questioned whether genetic polymorphisms associated with decision-making and dopaminergic neurotransmission modulation would contribute to the observed variability in moral judgment. To this aim, we genotyped five genetic variants of the dopaminergic pathway [rs1800955 in the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene, DRD4 48 bp variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR), solute carrier family 6 member 3 (SLC6A3) 40 bp VNTR, rs4680 in the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene, and rs1800497 in the ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) gene] in 200 subjects, who were requested to answer 56 moral dilemmas. As these variants are all located in genes belonging to the dopaminergic pathway, they were combined in multilocus genetic profiles for the association analysis. While no individual variant showed any significant effects on moral dilemma responses, the multilocus genetic profile analysis revealed a significant gender-specific influence on human moral acceptability. Specifically, those genotype combinations that improve dopaminergic signaling selectively increased moral acceptability in females, by making their responses to moral dilemmas more similar to those provided by males. As females usually give more emotionally-based answers and engage the "emotional brain" more than males, our results, though preliminary and therefore in need of replication in independent samples, suggest that this increase in dopamine availability enhances the cognitive and reduces the emotional components of moral decision-making in females, thus favoring a more rationally-driven decision process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Pellegrini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Sara Palumbo
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | | | - Erika Melissari
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Rota
- Clinical Psychology Branch, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria PisanaPisa, Italy
| | - Veronica Mariotti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Teresa Anastasio
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Manfrinati
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of OncologyMilan, Italy
| | - Rino Rumiati
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of PadovaPadova, Italy
| | - Lorella Lotto
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of PadovaPadova, Italy
| | - Michela Sarlo
- Department of General Psychology and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of PadovaPadova, Italy
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13
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Rauscher E. Plastic and immobile: Unequal intergenerational mobility by genetic sensitivity score within sibling pairs. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2017; 65:112-129. [PMID: 28599766 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Contrary to traditional biological arguments, the differential susceptibility model suggests genotype may moderate rather than mediate parent-child economic similarity. Using family fixed effects models of Add Health sibling data, I investigate the relationship between an index of sensitive genotypes and intergenerational mobility. Full, same sex sibling comparisons hold constant parental characteristics and address the non-random distribution of genotype that reduces internal validity in nationally representative samples. Across multiple measures of young adult financial standing, those with more copies of sensitive genotypes achieve lower economic outcomes than their sibling if they are from a low income context but fare better from a high income context. This genetic sensitivity to parental income entails lower intergenerational mobility. Results support the differential susceptibility model and contradict simplistic genetic explanations for intergenerational inequality, suggesting sensitive genotypes are not inherently positive or negative but rather increase dependence on parental income and reduce mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Rauscher
- University of Kansas, 716 Fraser Hall, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
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14
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Johnson SL, Carver CS, Joormann J, Cuccaro ML. Genetic polymorphisms related to behavioral approach and behavioral inhibition scales. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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15
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Ebstein RP, Monakhov MV, Lu Y, Jiang Y, Lai PS, Chew SH. Association between the dopamine D4 receptor gene exon III variable number of tandem repeats and political attitudes in female Han Chinese. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151360. [PMID: 26246555 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin and family studies suggest that political attitudes are partially determined by an individual's genotype. The dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) exon III repeat region that has been extensively studied in connection with human behaviour, is a plausible candidate to contribute to individual differences in political attitudes. A first United States study provisionally identified this gene with political attitude along a liberal-conservative axis albeit contingent upon number of friends. In a large sample of 1771 Han Chinese university students in Singapore, we observed a significant main effect of association between the DRD4 exon III variable number of tandem repeats and political attitude. Subjects with two copies of the 4-repeat allele (4R/4R) were significantly more conservative. Our results provided evidence for a role of the DRD4 gene variants in contributing to individual differences in political attitude particularly in females and more generally suggested that associations between individual genes, and neurochemical pathways, contributing to traits relevant to the social sciences can be provisionally identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Ebstein
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, AS4, 1 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore
| | - Mikhail V Monakhov
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, AS4, 1 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore
| | - Yunfeng Lu
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, AS2, 1 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore
| | - Yushi Jiang
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, AS2, 1 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore
| | - Poh San Lai
- Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, 119228, Singapore
| | - Soo Hong Chew
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, AS2, 1 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore
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16
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Saez I, Set E, Hsu M. From genes to behavior: placing cognitive models in the context of biological pathways. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:336. [PMID: 25414628 PMCID: PMC4220121 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Connecting neural mechanisms of behavior to their underlying molecular and genetic substrates has important scientific and clinical implications. However, despite rapid growth in our knowledge of the functions and computational properties of neural circuitry underlying behavior in a number of important domains, there has been much less progress in extending this understanding to their molecular and genetic substrates, even in an age marked by exploding availability of genomic data. Here we describe recent advances in analytical strategies that aim to overcome two important challenges associated with studying the complex relationship between genes and behavior: (i) reducing distal behavioral phenotypes to a set of molecular, physiological, and neural processes that render them closer to the actions of genetic forces, and (ii) striking a balance between the competing demands of discovery and interpretability when dealing with genomic data containing up to millions of markers. Our proposed approach involves linking, on one hand, models of neural computations and circuits hypothesized to underlie behavior, and on the other hand, the set of the genes carrying out biochemical processes related to the functioning of these neural systems. In particular, we focus on the specific example of value-based decision-making, and discuss how such a combination allows researchers to leverage existing biological knowledge at both neural and genetic levels to advance our understanding of the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Saez
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Program, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Eric Set
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Program, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA ; Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Ming Hsu
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Program, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
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17
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Pearson R, McGeary JE, Beevers CG. Association between serotonin cumulative genetic score and the Behavioral Approach System (BAS): Moderation by early life environment. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2014; 70:140-144. [PMID: 25264393 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigates if genetic variation in the serotonergic system interacts with early adversity to predict changes in the Behavioral Approach System (BAS), a system that taps into reward processing. In a sample of community adults (N= 236) the influence of single serotonergic candidate polymorphisms on BAS was analyzed, we also examined the aggregate contribution of these genetic variants by creating a Cumulative Genetic Score (CGS). A CGS quantifies an individual's cumulative risk by aggregating the number of risk alleles across the candidate polymorphisms. After individual gene analysis, three candidate genes rs7305115 (TPH2), rs6311 (HTR2A), and rs6295 (HTR1A) were combined into the CGS. There were no significant interactions between individual candidate polymorphisms and childhood adversity, but the CGS interacted with childhood adversity to explain a significant amount of variance (11.6%) in the BAS. Findings suggest that genetic variations in the serotonergic system in combination with childhood adversity contribute to individual differences in reward sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John E McGeary
- Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center & Alpert Medical School of Brown University
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18
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Zozulinsky P, Greenbaum L, Brande-Eilat N, Braun Y, Shalev I, Tomer R. Dopamine system genes are associated with orienting bias among healthy individuals. Neuropsychologia 2014; 62:48-54. [PMID: 25038551 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Healthy individuals display subtle orienting bias, manifested as a tendency to direct greater attention toward one hemispace, and evidence suggests that this bias reflects an individual trait, which may be modulated by asymmetric dopamine signaling in striatal and frontal regions. The current study examined the hypothesis that functional genetic variants within dopaminergic genes (DAT1 3' VNTR, dopamine D2 receptor Taq1A (rs1800497) and COMT Val158Met (rs4680)) contribute to individual differences in orienting bias, as measured by the greyscales paradigm, in a sample of 197 young healthy Israeli Jewish participants. For the Taq1A variant, homozygous carriers of the A2 allele displayed significantly increased leftward orienting bias compared to the carriers of the A1 allele. Additionally, and as previously reported by others, we found that bias towards leftward orienting of attention was significantly greater among carriers of the 9-repeat allele of the DAT1 3' VNTR as compared to the individuals who were homozygous for the 10-repeat allele. No significant effect of the COMT Val158Met on orienting bias was found. Taken together, our findings support the potential influence of genetic variants on inter-individual differences in orienting bias, a phenotype relevant to both normal and impaired cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina Zozulinsky
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Lior Greenbaum
- Department of Neurology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Hashomer, Israel; The Josheph Sagol Neuroscience center (JSNC), Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Noa Brande-Eilat
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Yair Braun
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, United States
| | - Rachel Tomer
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, 199 Abba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel Haifa 3498838, Israel.
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Tan YT, McPherson GE, Peretz I, Berkovic SF, Wilson SJ. The genetic basis of music ability. Front Psychol 2014; 5:658. [PMID: 25018744 PMCID: PMC4073543 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Music is an integral part of the cultural heritage of all known human societies, with the capacity for music perception and production present in most people. Researchers generally agree that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the broader realization of music ability, with the degree of music aptitude varying, not only from individual to individual, but across various components of music ability within the same individual. While environmental factors influencing music development and expertise have been well investigated in the psychological and music literature, the interrogation of possible genetic influences has not progressed at the same rate. Recent advances in genetic research offer fertile ground for exploring the genetic basis of music ability. This paper begins with a brief overview of behavioral and molecular genetic approaches commonly used in human genetic analyses, and then critically reviews the key findings of genetic investigations of the components of music ability. Some promising and converging findings have emerged, with several loci on chromosome 4 implicated in singing and music perception, and certain loci on chromosome 8q implicated in absolute pitch and music perception. The gene AVPR1A on chromosome 12q has also been implicated in music perception, music memory, and music listening, whereas SLC6A4 on chromosome 17q has been associated with music memory and choir participation. Replication of these results in alternate populations and with larger samples is warranted to confirm the findings. Through increased research efforts, a clearer picture of the genetic mechanisms underpinning music ability will hopefully emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ting Tan
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Gary E McPherson
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Isabelle Peretz
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research and Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel F Berkovic
- Department of Medicine, Epilepsy Research Centre, University of Melbourne Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah J Wilson
- Department of Medicine, Epilepsy Research Centre, University of Melbourne Heidelberg, VIC, Australia ; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Telpaz A, Yechiam E. Contrasting losses and gains increases the predictability of behavior by frontal EEG asymmetry. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:149. [PMID: 24817845 PMCID: PMC4012214 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontal asymmetry measured at rest using EEG is considered a stable marker of approach-avoidance behaviors and risk taking. We examined whether without salient cues of attention in the form of losses, predictability is reduced. Fifty-seven participants performed an experiential decision task in a gain-only, loss-only, and mixed (gains and losses) condition. Increased risk taking on the part of individuals with relatively high left frontal activation, as denoted by the Alpha band, was only observed in the task involving both gains and losses. Event-related potential analysis sheds light on the processes leading to this pattern. Left-frontal dominant individuals had increased fronto-central P300 activation following risky compared to safe outcomes, while right-frontal dominant individuals did not show a P300 difference following safe and risky outcomes. This interaction also only emerged when losses were contrasted with gains. The findings highlight the sensitivity of behavioral predictability to cues of valence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Telpaz
- Max Wertheimer Minerva Center for Cognitive Studies, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel
| | - Eldad Yechiam
- Max Wertheimer Minerva Center for Cognitive Studies, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel
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21
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Individual differences in impulsive and risky choice: effects of environmental rearing conditions. Behav Brain Res 2014; 269:115-27. [PMID: 24769268 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The present experiment investigated early-rearing environment modulation of individual differences in impulsive and risky choice. Rats were reared in an isolated condition (IC; n=12), in which they lived alone without novel stimuli, or an enriched condition (EC; n=11), in which they lived among conspecifics with novel stimuli. The impulsive choice task involved choices between smaller-sooner (SS) versus larger-later (LL) rewards. The risky choice task involved choices between certain-smaller (C-S) versus uncertain-larger (U-L) rewards. Following choice testing, incentive motivation to work for food was measured using a progressive ratio task and correlated with choice behavior. HPLC analyses were conducted to determine how monoamine concentrations within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC) related to behavior in different tasks. IC rats were more impulsive than EC rats, but they did not differ in risky choice behavior. However, choice behavior across tasks was significantly correlated (i.e., the more impulsive rats were also riskier). There were no group differences in monoamine levels, but noradrenergic and serotonergic concentrations were significantly correlated with impulsive and risky choice. Furthermore, serotonin and norepinephrine concentrations in the NAC significantly correlated with incentive motivation and the timing of the reward delays within the choice tasks. These results suggest a role for domain general processes in impulsive and risky choice and indicate the importance of the NAC and/or PFC in timing, reward processing, and choice behavior.
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22
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Balasubramani PP, Chakravarthy VS, Ravindran B, Moustafa AA. An extended reinforcement learning model of basal ganglia to understand the contributions of serotonin and dopamine in risk-based decision making, reward prediction, and punishment learning. Front Comput Neurosci 2014; 8:47. [PMID: 24795614 PMCID: PMC3997037 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2014.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2013] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although empirical and neural studies show that serotonin (5HT) plays many functional roles in the brain, prior computational models mostly focus on its role in behavioral inhibition. In this study, we present a model of risk based decision making in a modified Reinforcement Learning (RL)-framework. The model depicts the roles of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) in Basal Ganglia (BG). In this model, the DA signal is represented by the temporal difference error (δ), while the 5HT signal is represented by a parameter (α) that controls risk prediction error. This formulation that accommodates both 5HT and DA reconciles some of the diverse roles of 5HT particularly in connection with the BG system. We apply the model to different experimental paradigms used to study the role of 5HT: (1) Risk-sensitive decision making, where 5HT controls risk assessment, (2) Temporal reward prediction, where 5HT controls time-scale of reward prediction, and (3) Reward/Punishment sensitivity, in which the punishment prediction error depends on 5HT levels. Thus the proposed integrated RL model reconciles several existing theories of 5HT and DA in the BG.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Balaraman Ravindran
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology - Madras Chennai, India
| | - Ahmed A Moustafa
- Foundational Processes of Behaviour Research Concentration, Marcs Institute for Brain and Behaviour & School of Social Sciences and Psychology, University of Western Sydney Sydney, NSW, Australia
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23
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Yu R, Zhang P. Neural evidence for description dependent reward processing in the framing effect. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:56. [PMID: 24733998 PMCID: PMC3973918 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Human decision making can be influenced by emotionally valenced contexts, known as the framing effect. We used event-related brain potentials to investigate how framing influences the encoding of reward. We found that the feedback related negativity (FRN), which indexes the “worse than expected” negative prediction error in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), was more negative for the negative frame than for the positive frame in the win domain. Consistent with previous findings that the FRN is not sensitive to “better than expected” positive prediction error, the FRN did not differentiate the positive and negative frame in the loss domain. Our results provide neural evidence that the description invariance principle which states that reward representation and decision making are not influenced by how options are presented is violated in the framing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongjun Yu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University Guangzhou, China
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24
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Wickrama KKAS, O'Neal CW, Oshri A. Are stressful developmental processes of youths leading to health problems amplified by genetic polymorphisms? The case of body mass index. J Youth Adolesc 2014; 43:1096-109. [PMID: 24609842 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-014-0109-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Although previous research has documented the adverse influence of early socioeconomic disadvantage on youths' physical health outcomes and the increase in health inequalities over the early life course, little is known about genetically informed sequential life course developmental processes leading to health outcomes. Consistent with the life course-stress process perspective, we hypothesized that early socioeconomic adversity initiates a stress process over the early life course. This process involves the disrupted transition from adolescence to young adulthood, which increases the risk of health problems during young adulthood. Behavioral, psychosocial, and genetic data were collected from 12,424 adolescents (53 % female) over a period of 13 years participating in the nationally representative National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Early cumulative socioeconomic adversity and the polygenic influence were measured using composite indices. The study provided evidence for stressful developmental processes of adolescents, involving parental rejection, depressive symptoms, and adolescents' precocious transition. This longitudinal process was initiated by early cumulative socioeconomic adversity and eventuated with young adults' increased body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, the study provided evidence for the influence of life context-gene interactions (G × E) on adolescents' precocious development and young adult BMI (after controlling for the lagged measure) amplifying the stress process over the early life course. These findings emphasize the need for incorporating individual genetic characteristics in a longitudinal context into life course stress research. Furthermore, policies focused on eradicating childhood/adolescent adversities are necessary as well as youth programs and policies that promote youth competencies that aid in their successful transition to young adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kandauda K A S Wickrama
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, 103 Family Science Center I, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA,
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25
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Kuhnen CM, Samanez-Larkin GR, Knutson B. Serotonergic genotypes, neuroticism, and financial choices. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54632. [PMID: 23382929 PMCID: PMC3559795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Life financial outcomes carry a significant heritable component, but the mechanisms by which genes influence financial choices remain unclear. Focusing on a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), we found that individuals possessing the short allele of this gene invested less in equities, were less engaged in actively making investment decisions, and had fewer credit lines. Short allele carriers also showed higher levels of the personality trait neuroticism, despite not differing from others with respect to cognitive skills, education, or wealth. Mediation analysis suggested that the presence of the 5-HTTLPR short allele decreased real life measures of financial risk taking through its influence on neuroticism. These findings show that 5-HTTLPR short allele carriers avoid risky and complex financial choices due to negative emotional reactions, and have implications for understanding and managing individual differences in financial choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camelia M Kuhnen
- Finance Department, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.
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26
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Sambrook TD, Roser M, Goslin J. Prospect theory does not describe the feedback-related negativity value function. Psychophysiology 2012; 49:1533-44. [PMID: 23094592 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01482.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Humans handle uncertainty poorly. Prospect theory accounts for this with a value function in which possible losses are overweighted compared to possible gains, and the marginal utility of rewards decreases with size. fMRI studies have explored the neural basis of this value function. A separate body of research claims that prediction errors are calculated by midbrain dopamine neurons. We investigated whether the prospect theoretic effects shown in behavioral and fMRI studies were present in midbrain prediction error coding by using the feedback-related negativity, an ERP component believed to reflect midbrain prediction errors. Participants' stated satisfaction with outcomes followed prospect theory but their feedback-related negativity did not, instead showing no effect of marginal utility and greater sensitivity to potential gains than losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Sambrook
- Cognition Institute, School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
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27
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Lei X, Chen C, He Q, Chen C, Moyzis RK, Xue G, Chen X, Cao Z, Li J, Li H, Zhu B, Chun Hsu AS, Li S, Li J, Dong Q. Sex determines which section of the SLC6A4 gene is linked to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in normal Chinese college students. J Psychiatr Res 2012; 46:1153-60. [PMID: 22727904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Revised: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Previous case-control and family-based association studies have implicated the SLC6A4 gene in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Little research, however, has examined this gene's role in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in community samples. The present study genotyped seven tag SNPs and two common functional tandem repeat polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR and STin2), which together cover the whole SLC6A4 gene, and investigated their associations with OCS in normal Chinese college students (N = 572). The results revealed a significant gender main effect and gender-specific genetic effects of the SLC6A4 gene on OCS. Males scored significantly higher on total OCS and its three dimensions than did females (ps < .01). The 5-HTTLPR in the promoter region showed a female-specific genetic effect, with the l/l and l/s genotypes linked to higher OCS scores than the s/s genotype (ps < .05). In contrast, a conserved haplotype polymorphism (rs1042173| rs4325622| rs3794808| rs140701| rs4583306| rs2020942) covering from intron 3 to the 3' UTR of the SLC6A4 gene showed male-specific genetic effects, with the CGAAGG/CGAAGG genotype associated with lower OCS scores than the other genotypes (ps < .05). These effects remained significant after controlling for OCS-related factors including participants' depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as stressful life events, and correction for multiple tests. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for our understanding of the sex-specific role of the different sections of the SLC6A4 gene in OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Benjamin DJ, Cesarini D, Chabris CF, Glaeser EL, Laibson DI, Guðnason V, Harris TB, Launer LJ, Purcell S, Smith AV, Johannesson M, Magnusson PKE, Beauchamp JP, Christakis NA, Atwood CS, Hebert B, Freese J, Hauser RM, Hauser TS, Grankvist A, Hultman CM, Lichtenstein P. The Promises and Pitfalls of Genoeconomics*. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECONOMICS 2012; 4:627-662. [PMID: 23482589 PMCID: PMC3592970 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-economics-080511-110939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews existing research at the intersection of genetics and economics, presents some new findings that illustrate the state of genoeconomics research, and surveys the prospects of this emerging field. Twin studies suggest that economic outcomes and preferences, once corrected for measurement error, appear to be about as heritable as many medical conditions and personality traits. Consistent with this pattern, we present new evidence on the heritability of permanent income and wealth. Turning to genetic association studies, we survey the main ways that the direct measurement of genetic variation across individuals is likely to contribute to economics, and we outline the challenges that have slowed progress in making these contributions. The most urgent problem facing researchers in this field is that most existing efforts to find associations between genetic variation and economic behavior are based on samples that are too small to ensure adequate statistical power. This has led to many false positives in the literature. We suggest a number of possible strategies to improve and remedy this problem: (a) pooling data sets, (b) using statistical techniques that exploit the greater information content of many genes considered jointly, and (c) focusing on economically relevant traits that are most proximate to known biological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Benjamin
- Department of Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138;
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29
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Falk EB, Way BM, Jasinska AJ. An imaging genetics approach to understanding social influence. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:168. [PMID: 22701416 PMCID: PMC3373206 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Normative social influences shape nearly every aspect of our lives, yet the biological processes mediating the impact of these social influences on behavior remain incompletely understood. In this Hypothesis, we outline a theoretical framework and an integrative research approach to the study of social influences on the brain and genetic moderators of such effects. First, we review neuroimaging evidence linking social influence and conformity to the brain's reward system. We next review neuroimaging evidence linking social punishment (exclusion) to brain systems involved in the experience of pain, as well as evidence linking exclusion to conformity. We suggest that genetic variants that increase sensitivity to social cues may predispose individuals to be more sensitive to either social rewards or punishments (or potentially both), which in turn increases conformity and susceptibility to normative social influences more broadly. To this end, we review evidence for genetic moderators of neurochemical responses in the brain, and suggest ways in which genes and pharmacology may modulate sensitivity to social influences. We conclude by proposing an integrative imaging genetics approach to the study of brain mediators and genetic modulators of a variety of social influences on human attitudes, beliefs, and actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B Falk
- Department of Communication Studies and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA
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30
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31
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Ebstein RP, Knafo A, Mankuta D, Chew SH, Lai PS. The contributions of oxytocin and vasopressin pathway genes to human behavior. Horm Behav 2012; 61:359-79. [PMID: 22245314 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2011] [Revised: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 12/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) are social hormones and mediate affiliative behaviors in mammals and as recently demonstrated, also in humans. There is intense interest in how these simple nonapeptides mediate normal and abnormal behavior, especially regarding disorders of the social brain such as autism that are characterized by deficits in social communication and social skills. The current review examines in detail the behavioral genetics of the first level of human AVP-OXT pathway genes including arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), AVP (AVP-neurophysin II [NPII]) and OXT (OXT neurophysin I [NPI]), oxytocinase/vasopressinase (LNPEP), ADP-ribosyl cyclase (CD38) and arginine vasopressin 1b receptor (AVPR1b). Wherever possible we discuss evidence from a variety of research tracks including molecular genetics, imaging genomics, pharmacology and endocrinology that support the conclusions drawn from association studies of social phenotypes and detail how common polymorphisms in AVP-OXT pathway genes contribute to the behavioral hard wiring that enables individual Homo sapiens to interact successfully with conspecifics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Ebstein
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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Morley AP, Narayanan M, Mines R, Molokhia A, Baxter S, Craig G, Lewis CM, Craig I. AVPR1A and SLC6A4 polymorphisms in choral singers and non-musicians: a gene association study. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31763. [PMID: 22384070 PMCID: PMC3285181 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2011] [Accepted: 01/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Amateur choral singing is a common pastime and worthy of study, possibly conferring benefits to health and social behaviour. Participants might be expected to possess musical ability and share some behavioural characteristics. Polymorphisms in genes concerned with serotonergic neurotransmission are associated with both behaviour and musical aptitude. Those investigated previously include the variable number tandem repeats RS1, RS3 and AVR in the AVPR1A (arginine vasopressin receptor 1a) gene and STin2 in the SLC6A4 (solute carrier family 6 [neurotransmitter transporter, serotonin], member 4) gene, as well as the SLC6A4 promoter region polymorphism, 5-HTTLPR. We conducted a genetic association study on 523 participants to establish whether alleles at these polymorphisms occur more commonly in choral singers than in those not regularly participating in organised musical activity (non-musicians). We also analysed tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for AVPR1A and SLC6A4 to determine whether other variants in these genes were associated with singer/non-musician status. At the STin2 polymorphism, overall association with singer/non-musician status was evident at P = 0.006. The 9-repeat (P = 0.04) and 12-repeat (P = 0.04) alleles were more common in singers and the 10-repeat allele less so (P = 0.009). Odds ratios were 0.73 (95% CI 0.57–0.94) for the 10-repeat allele and 2.47 (95% CI 0.88–6.94) for the rarer 9-repeat allele. No overall association was detected at P<0.05 between any other polymorphism and singer/non-musician status. Our null findings with respect to RS3, RS1 and AVR, polymorphisms associated with musical ability by other authors, suggest that choir membership may depend partly on factors other than musical ability. In a related musical project involving one participating choir, a new 40-part unaccompanied choral work, “Allele”, was composed and broadcast on national radio. In the piece, each singer's part incorporated their personal RS3 genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Morley
- King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, London, United Kingdom.
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Zhong S, Chark R, Ebstein RP, Chew SH. Imaging genetics for utility of risks over gains and losses. Neuroimage 2011; 59:540-6. [PMID: 21801841 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2011] [Revised: 07/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
One tenet of behavioral economics is the asymmetry in how decision makers evaluate risks involving gains versus risks involving losses. Correspondingly, an increasingly important question is what neuroanatomical and neurochemical correlates underpin valuation over gains and losses. By employing an imaging genetics strategy, this paper aims at identifying the specific neurotransmitter pathways underlying these decision making processes. We find enhanced striatal activation responding to increases in the magnitude of utility for risks over gains and to increases in the magnitude of disutility for risks over losses, while increased amygdala activation correlates only with the disutility for risks over losses. Stratifying brain activation by genotype, we find that a well-characterized polymorphism in the dopamine transporter (DAT1) contributes to individual differences in striatal response for gain-oriented risks, whereas a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter (STin2) partially accounts for individual differences in amygdala responses for loss-oriented risks. Together, our results suggest the role of the amygdala and corresponding serotonergic pathway in evaluating losses. This further corroborates the hypothesis of serotonin being linked to dopamine in an "opponent partnership".
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Affiliation(s)
- Songfa Zhong
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Beauchamp JP, Cesarini D, Johannesson M, van der Loos MJHM, Koellinger PD, Groenen PJF, Fowler JH, Rosenquist JN, Thurik AR, Christakis NA. Molecular Genetics and Economics. THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES : A JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION 2011; 25:57-82. [PMID: 22427719 PMCID: PMC3306008 DOI: 10.1257/jep.25.4.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The costs of comprehensively genotyping human subjects have fallen to the point where major funding bodies, even in the social sciences, are beginning to incorporate genetic and biological markers into major social surveys. How, if at all, should economists use and combine molecular genetic and economic data from these surveys? What challenges arise when analyzing genetically informative data? To illustrate, we present results from a “genome-wide association study” of educational attainment. We use a sample of 7,500 individuals from the Framingham Heart Study; our dataset contains over 360,000 genetic markers per person. We get some initially promising results linking genetic markers to educational attainment, but these fail to replicate in a second large sample of 9,500 people from the Rotterdam Study. Unfortunately such failure is typical in molecular genetic studies of this type, so the example is also cautionary. We discuss a number of methodological challenges that face researchers who use molecular genetics to reliably identify genetic associates of economic traits. Our overall assessment is cautiously optimistic: this new data source has potential in economics. But researchers and consumers of the genoeconomic literature should be wary of the pitfalls, most notably the difficulty of doing reliable inference when faced with multiple hypothesis problems on a scale never before encountered in social science.
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Rogers RD. The roles of dopamine and serotonin in decision making: evidence from pharmacological experiments in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:114-32. [PMID: 20881944 PMCID: PMC3055502 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 08/16/2010] [Accepted: 08/16/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurophysiological experiments in primates, alongside neuropsychological and functional magnetic resonance investigations in humans, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the neural architecture of decision making. In this review, I consider the more limited database of experiments that have investigated how dopamine and serotonin activity influences the choices of human adults. These include those experiments that have involved the administration of drugs to healthy controls, experiments that have tested genotypic influences upon dopamine and serotonin function, and, finally, some of those experiments that have examined the effects of drugs on the decision making of clinical samples. Pharmacological experiments in humans are few in number and face considerable methodological challenges in terms of drug specificity, uncertainties about pre- vs post-synaptic modes of action, and interactions with baseline cognitive performance. However, the available data are broadly consistent with current computational models of dopamine function in decision making and highlight the dissociable roles of dopamine receptor systems in the learning about outcomes that underpins value-based decision making. Moreover, genotypic influences on (interacting) prefrontal and striatal dopamine activity are associated with changes in choice behavior that might be relevant to understanding exploratory behaviors and vulnerability to addictive disorders. Manipulations of serotonin in laboratory tests of decision making in human participants have provided less consistent results, but the information gathered to date indicates a role for serotonin in learning about bad decision outcomes, non-normative aspects of risk-seeking behavior, and social choices involving affiliation and notions of fairness. Finally, I suggest that the role played by serotonin in the regulation of cognitive biases, and representation of context in learning, point toward a role in the cortically mediated cognitive appraisal of reinforcers when selecting between actions, potentially accounting for its influence upon the processing salient aversive outcomes and social choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Rogers
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
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Campbell-Meiklejohn D, Wakeley J, Herbert V, Cook J, Scollo P, Ray MK, Selvaraj S, Passingham RE, Cowen P, Rogers RD. Serotonin and dopamine play complementary roles in gambling to recover losses. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:402-10. [PMID: 20980990 PMCID: PMC3055672 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Continued gambling to recover losses--'loss chasing'--is a prominent feature of social and pathological gambling. However, little is known about the neuromodulators that influence this behavior. In three separate experiments, we investigated the role of serotonin activity, D(2)/D(3) receptor activity, and beta-adrenoceptor activity on the loss chasing of age and IQ-matched healthy adults randomized to treatment or an appropriate control/placebo. In Experiment 1, participants consumed amino-acid drinks that did or did not contain the serotonin precursor, tryptophan. In Experiment 2, participants received a single 176 μg dose of the D(2)/D(3) receptor agonist, pramipexole, or placebo. In Experiment 3, participants received a single 80 mg dose of the beta-adrenoceptor blocker, propranolol, or placebo. Following treatment, participants completed a computerized loss-chasing game. Mood and heart rate were measured at baseline and following treatment. Tryptophan depletion significantly reduced the number of decisions made to chase losses, and the number of consecutive decisions to chase, in the absence of marked changes in mood. By contrast, pramipexole significantly increased the value of losses chased and diminished the value of losses surrendered. Propranolol markedly reduced heart rate, but produced no significant changes in loss-chasing behavior. Loss chasing can be thought of as an aversively motivated escape behavior controlled, in part, by the marginal value of continued gambling relative to the value of already accumulated losses. Serotonin and dopamine appear to play dissociable roles in the tendency of individuals to gamble to recover, or to seek to 'escape' from, previous losses. Serotonergic activity seems to promote the availability of loss chasing as a behavioral option, whereas D(2)/D(3) receptor activity produces complex changes in the value of losses judged worth chasing. Sympathetic arousal, at least as mediated by beta-adrenoceptors, does not play a major role in laboratory-based loss-chasing choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Campbell-Meiklejohn
- Interacting Minds, Centre for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Judi Wakeley
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Jennifer Cook
- Department of Psychology, Bath University, Bath, UK,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Paolo Scollo
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Manaan Kar Ray
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Sudhakar Selvaraj
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Phillip Cowen
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Robert D Rogers
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK,University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 7JX, UK. Tel: +44 186 522 6399, Fax: +44 186 579 3101, E-mail:
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Frydman C, Camerer C, Bossaerts P, Rangel A. MAOA-L carriers are better at making optimal financial decisions under risk. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:2053-9. [PMID: 21147794 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes can affect behaviour towards risks through at least two distinct neurocomputational mechanisms: they may affect the value assigned to different risky options, or they may affect the way in which the brain adjudicates between options based on their value. We combined methods from neuroeconomics and behavioural genetics to investigate the impact that the genes encoding for monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA), the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) have on these two computations. Consistent with previous literature, we found that carriers of the MAOA-L polymorphism were more likely to take financial risks. Our computational choice model, rooted in established decision theory, showed that MAOA-L carriers exhibited such behaviour because they are able to make better financial decisions under risk, and not because they are more impulsive. In contrast, we found no behavioural or computational differences among the 5-HTT and DRD4 polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cary Frydman
- HSS, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Caltech 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Zhong S, Israel S, Shalev I, Xue H, Ebstein RP, Chew SH. Dopamine D4 receptor gene associated with fairness preference in ultimatum game. PLoS One 2010; 5:e13765. [PMID: 21072167 PMCID: PMC2972208 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2010] [Accepted: 07/27/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In experimental economics, the preference for reciprocal fairness has been observed in the controlled and incentivized laboratory setting of the ultimatum game, in which two individuals decide on how to divide a sum of money, with one proposing the share while the second deciding whether to accept. Should the proposal be accepted, the amount is divided accordingly. Otherwise, both would receive no money. A recent twin study has shown that fairness preference inferred from responder behavior is heritable, yet its neurogenetic basis remains unknown. The D4 receptor (DRD4) exon3 is a well-characterized functional polymorphism, which is known to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and personality traits including novelty seeking and self-report altruism. Applying a neurogenetic approach, we find that DRD4 is significantly associated with fairness preference. Additionally, the interaction among this gene, season of birth, and gender is highly significant. This is the first result to link preference for reciprocal fairness to a specific gene and suggests that gene × environment interactions contribute to economic decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songfa Zhong
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Salomon Israel
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Idan Shalev
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hong Xue
- Applied Genomics Center, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Richard P. Ebstein
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (SHC); (RPE)
| | - Soo Hong Chew
- Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Department of Finance, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Center for Experimental Business Research, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- * E-mail: (SHC); (RPE)
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He Q, Xue G, Chen C, Lu Z, Dong Q, Lei X, Ding N, Li J, Li H, Chen C, Li J, Moyzis RK, Bechara A. Serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) influences decision making under ambiguity and risk in a large Chinese sample. Neuropharmacology 2010; 59:518-26. [PMID: 20659488 PMCID: PMC2946467 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2010] [Revised: 07/07/2010] [Accepted: 07/07/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Risky decision making is a complex process that involves weighing the probabilities of alternative options that can be desirable, undesirable, or neutral. Individuals vary greatly in how they make decisions either under ambiguity and/or under risk. Such individual differences may have genetic bases. Based on previous studies on the genetic basis of decision making, two decision making tasks [i.e., the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Loss Aversion Task (LAT)] were used to test the effect of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on decision making under ambiguity and under risk in a large Han Chinese sample (572 college students, 312 females). Basic intelligence and memory tests were also included to control for the influence of basic cognitive abilities on decision making. We found that 5-HTTLPR polymorphism significantly influenced performance in both IGT and LAT. After controlling for intelligence and memory abilities, subjects homozygous for s allele had lower IGT scores than l carriers in the first 40 trials of the IGT task. They also exhibited higher loss aversion than l carriers in the LAT task. Moreover, the effects of 5-HTTLPR were stronger for males than for females. These results extend the literature on the important role of emotion in decision making under ambiguity and risk, and shed additional lights on how decision making is influenced by culture as well as sex differences. Combining our results with existing literature, we propose that these effects might be mediated by a neural circuitry that comprises the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and insular cortex. Understanding the genetic factors affecting decision making in healthy subjects may allow us to better identify at-risk individuals, and better target the development of new potential treatments for specific disorders such as schizophrenia, addiction, and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinghua He
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, United States
| | - Gui Xue
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, United States
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 92697, United States
| | - Zhonglin Lu
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, United States
| | - Qi Dong
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Xuemei Lei
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Ni Ding
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Jin Li
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
- Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 92697, United States
| | - He Li
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Chunhui Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Jun Li
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P. R. China
| | - Robert K. Moyzis
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, 92697, United States
| | - Antoine Bechara
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, United States
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Zhong S, Israel S, Xue H, Ebstein RP, Chew SH. Monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) associated with attitude towards longshot risks. PLoS One 2009; 4:e8516. [PMID: 20046877 PMCID: PMC2795855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2009] [Accepted: 12/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Decision making often entails longshot risks involving a small chance of receiving a substantial outcome. People tend to be risk preferring (averse) when facing longshot risks involving significant gains (losses). This differentiation towards longshot risks underpins the markets for lottery as well as for insurance. Both lottery and insurance have emerged since ancient times and continue to play a useful role in the modern economy. In this study, we observe subjects' incentivized choices in a controlled laboratory setting, and investigate their association with a widely studied, promoter-region repeat functional polymorphism in monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA). We find that subjects with the high activity (4-repeat) allele are characterized by a preference for the longshot lottery and also less insurance purchasing than subjects with the low activity (3-repeat) allele. This is the first result to link attitude towards longshot risks to a specific gene. It complements recent findings on the neurobiological basis of economic risk taking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songfa Zhong
- Center for Experimental Business Research and Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Salomon Israel
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hong Xue
- Applied Genomics Laboratory and Department of Biochemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Richard P. Ebstein
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Herzog Memorial Hospital, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Soo Hong Chew
- Center for Experimental Business Research and Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Department of Economics and Department of Finance, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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