Exploring the Effect of Stimulus Similarity on the Summation Effect in Causal Learning

Several contemporary models anticipate that the summation effect is modulated by the similarity between the cues forming a compound. Here, we explore this hypothesis in a series of causal learning experiments. Participants were presented with two visual cues that separately predicted a common outcome and later asked for the outcome predicted by the compound of the two cues. Similarity was varied between groups through changes in shape, spatial position, color, configuration, and rotation. In variance with the predictions of these models, we observed similar and strong levels of summation in both groups across all manipulations of similarity. The effect, however, was significantly reduced by manipulations intended to impact assumptions about the causal independence of the cues forming the compound, but this reduction was independent of stimulus similarity. These results are problematic for similarity-based models and can be more readily explained by rational approaches to causal learning.

Low Cognitive Impulsivity Is Associated with Better Gain and Loss Learning in a Probabilistic Decision-Making Task

Many advances have been made over the last decades in describing, on the one hand, the link between reward-based learning and decision-making, and on the other hand, the link between impulsivity and decision-making. However, the association between reward-based learning and impulsivity remains poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the association between individual differences in loss-minimizing and gain-maximizing behavior in a learning-based probabilistic decision-making task and individual differences in cognitive impulsivity. We found that low cognitive impulsivity was associated both with a better performance minimizing losses and maximizing gains during the task. These associations remained significant after controlling for mathematical skills and gender as potential confounders. We discuss potential mechanisms through which cognitive impulsivity might interact with reward-based learning and decision-making.

Altruistic traits are predicted by neural responses to monetary outcomes for self vs charity

Human altruism is often expressed through charitable donation-supporting a cause that benefits others in society, at cost to oneself. The underlying mechanisms of this other-regarding behavior remain imperfectly understood. By recording event-related-potential (ERP) measures of brain activity from human participants during a social gambling task, we identified markers of differential responses to receipt of monetary outcomes for oneself vs for a charitable cause. We focused our ERP analyses on the frontocentral feedback-related negativity (FRN) and three subcomponents of the attention-related P300 (P3) brain wave: the frontocentral P2 and P3a and the parietal P3b. The FRN distinguished between gains and losses for both self and charity outcomes. Importantly, this effect of outcome valence was greater for self than charity for both groups and was independent of two altruism-related measures: participants' pre-declared intended donations and the actual donations resulting from their choices. In contrast, differences in P3 subcomponents for outcomes for self vs charity strongly predicted both of our laboratory measures of altruism-as well as self-reported engagement in real-life altruistic behaviors. These results indicate that individual differences in altruism are linked to individual differences in the relative deployment of attention (as indexed by the P3) toward outcomes affecting other people.

Cortical Brain Activity Reflecting Attentional Biasing Toward Reward-Predicting Cues Covaries with Economic Decision-Making Performance

Adaptive choice behavior depends critically on identifying and learning from outcome-predicting cues. We hypothesized that attention may be preferentially directed toward certain outcome-predicting cues. We studied this possibility by analyzing event-related potential (ERP) responses in humans during a probabilistic decision-making task. Participants viewed pairs of outcome-predicting visual cues and then chose to wager either a small (i.e., loss-minimizing) or large (i.e., gain-maximizing) amount of money. The cues were bilaterally presented, which allowed us to extract the relative neural responses to each cue by using a contralateral-versus-ipsilateral ERP contrast. We found an early lateralized ERP response, whose features matched the attention-shift-related N2pc component and whose amplitude scaled with the learned reward-predicting value of the cues as predicted by an attention-for-reward model. Consistently, we found a double dissociation involving the N2pc. Across participants, gain-maximization positively correlated with the N2pc amplitude to the most reliable gain-predicting cue, suggesting an attentional bias toward such cues. Conversely, loss-minimization was negatively correlated with the N2pc amplitude to the most reliable loss-predicting cue, suggesting an attentional avoidance toward such stimuli. These results indicate that learned stimulus-reward associations can influence rapid attention allocation, and that differences in this process are associated with individual differences in economic decision-making performance.

Pupil dilation signals uncertainty and surprise in a learning gambling task

Pupil dilation under constant illumination is a physiological marker where modulation is related to several cognitive functions involved in daily decision making. There is evidence for a role of pupil dilation change during decision-making tasks associated with uncertainty, reward-prediction errors and surprise. However, while some work suggests that pupil dilation is mainly modulated by reward predictions, others point out that this marker is related to uncertainty signaling and surprise. Supporting the latter hypothesis, the neural substrate of this marker is related to noradrenaline (NA) activity which has been also related to uncertainty signaling. In this work we aimed to test whether pupil dilation is a marker for uncertainty and surprise in a learning task. We recorded pupil dilation responses in 10 participants performing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a decision-making task that requires learning and constant monitoring of outcomes' feedback, which are important variables within the traditional study of human decision making. Results showed that pupil dilation changes were modulated by learned uncertainty and surprise regardless of feedback magnitudes. Interestingly, greater pupil dilation changes were found during positive feedback (PF) presentation when there was lower uncertainty about a future negative feedback (NF); and by surprise during NF presentation. These results support the hypothesis that pupil dilation is a marker of learned uncertainty, and may be used as a marker of NA activity facing unfamiliar situations in humans.

Event-related potential studies of outcome processing and feedback-guided learning

In order to control behavior in an adaptive manner the brain has to learn how some situations and actions predict positive or negative outcomes. During the last decade cognitive neuroscientists have shown that the brain is able to evaluate and learn from outcomes within a few hundred milliseconds of their occurrence. This research has been primarily focused on the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and the P3, two event-related potential (ERP) components that are elicited by outcomes. The FRN is a frontally distributed negative-polarity ERP component that typically reaches its maximal amplitude 250 ms after outcome presentation and tends to be larger for negative than for positive outcomes. The FRN has been associated with activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The P3 (~300–600 ms) is a parietally distributed positive-polarity ERP component that tends to be larger for large magnitude than for small magnitude outcomes. The neural sources of the P3 are probably distributed over different regions of the cortex. This paper examines the theories that have been proposed to explain the functional role of these two ERP components during outcome processing. Special attention is paid to extant literature addressing how these ERP components are modulated by outcome valence (negative vs. positive), outcome magnitude (large vs. small), outcome probability (unlikely vs. likely), and behavioral adjustment. The literature offers few generalizable conclusions, but is beset with a number of inconsistencies across studies. This paper discusses the potential reasons for these inconsistencies and points out some challenges that probably will shape the field over the next decade.

Methodological considerations related to sleep paradigm using event related potentials

In the last few decades, several works on event related potentials (ERPs hereafter) during sleep have been reported. In spite of numerous studies, clear methodological rules for this kind of study are often missing, making it difficult to valorize the scope of these results. We propose here a description of methodological aspects to be considered when evaluating ERPs during sleep. The use of Rechtschaffen and Kales rules versus automatic methods is assessed, plus the additional use of certain quantitative measures. Additionally, two topics are discussed which must be controlled in ERPs sleep studies: the First Night Effect, and sleep disturbances. Better control of experimental paradigms is relevant for the growth of the neuroscience of sleep.

[Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: detection of a new mutation in the PKD1 gene]

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited disorder characterized by genetic heterogeneity. Up to three loci are involved in this disease, PKD1 on chromosome 16p13.3, PKD2 on 4q21, and a third locus of unknown location. Since the identification of the PKD1 gene, the interest was centered in the characterization of the mutations responsible for the disease. Most mutations found were diverse and situated throughout the gene with no phenotypic correlation. Here we describe a new mutation in exon 44 from PKD1 gene in a family previously characterized as PKD1 by linkage analysis. The mutation is a single base substitution from a C to a T at position 12220 originating a stop codon at the mutation site. This would lead to premature termination and the formation of a truncated protein lacking part of the carboxi-terminus.

Pre-transplant recipient-donor interaction: a prognostic indicator in living related kidney transplantation?

Based on the hypothesis that not only genetically determined immune characteristics, but also psychosocial and especially interpersonal factors may influence the outcome in living related kidney transplantation, we investigated the type of relationship between recipient and donor, and its association with graft prognosis. The study group consisted of 154 kidney transplant candidates and their selected donors. Donor and recipient were assessed prospectively prior to transplantation using an interactional task (Usandivaras Marbles Test) and assigned to one of four groups, according to their pattern of contact. Kidney survival was calculated for each test group, and results compared by life table methods and logistic regression. The group that showed progression from initial contact avoidance or enmeshment to contact with boundaries had a significantly better outcome than the other groups (no change or loss of contact with boundaries). Differences could not be related to other variables such as age, sex, sex difference, relationship, HLA-matching, and treatment.

Genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in Argentina

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited disorder with genetic heterogeneity. Up to three loci are involved in this disease, PKD1 on chromosome 16p13.3, PKD2 on 4q21, and a third locus of unknown location. Here we report the existence of locus heterogeneity for this disease in the Argentinian population by performing linkage analysis on 12 families of Caucasian origin. Eleven families showed linkage to PKD 1 and one family showed linkage to PKD2. Two recombinants in the latter family placed the locus PKD2 proximal to D4S1563, in agreement with data recently published on the cloning of this gene. Analysis of clinical data suggests a milder ADPKD phenotype for the PKD2 family.