Neural Mechanisms of the Testosterone–Aggression Relation: The Role of Orbitofrontal Cortex

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 2357-2368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranjal H. Mehta ◽  
Jennifer Beer
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Ultimatum Game ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Reduced Activity

Testosterone plays a role in aggressive behavior, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The present study tested the hypothesis that testosterone influences aggression through the OFC, a region implicated in self-regulation and impulse control. In a decision-making paradigm in which people chose between aggression and monetary reward (the ultimatum game), testosterone was associated with increased aggression following social provocation (rejecting unfair offers). The effect of testosterone on aggression was explained by reduced activity in the medial OFC. The findings suggest that testosterone increases the propensity toward aggression because of reduced activation of the neural circuitry of impulse control and self-regulation.

scholarly journals Reviewing Stranger on the Internet: The Role of Identifiability through “Reputation” in Online Decision Making

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Mirko Duradoni ◽  
Stefania Collodi ◽  
Serena Coppolino Perfumi ◽  
Andrea Guazzini
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ultimatum Game ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Web Technologies ◽  
Social Acts ◽  
Good Reputation ◽  
The Stranger

The stranger on the Internet effect has been studied in relation to self-disclosure. Nonetheless, quantitative evidence about how people mentally represent and perceive strangers online is still missing. Given the dynamic development of web technologies, quantifying how much strangers can be considered suitable for pro-social acts such as self-disclosure appears fundamental for a whole series of phenomena ranging from privacy protection to fake news spreading. Using a modified and online version of the Ultimatum Game (UG), we quantified the mental representation of the stranger on the Internet effect and tested if people modify their behaviors according to the interactors’ identifiability (i.e., reputation). A total of 444 adolescents took part in a 2 × 2 design experiment where reputation was set active or not for the two traditional UG tasks. We discovered that, when matched with strangers, people donate the same amount of money as if the other has a good reputation. Moreover, reputation significantly affected the donation size, the acceptance rate and the feedback decision making as well.

scholarly journals Interacting roles of lateral and medial Orbitofrontal cortex in decision-making and learning : A system-level computational model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhargav Teja Nallapu ◽  
Frédéric Alexandre
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
System Level ◽  
Interacting Networks ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Experimental Findings

AbstractIn the context of flexible and adaptive animal behavior, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is found to be one of the crucial regions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) influencing the downstream processes of decision-making and learning in the sub-cortical regions. Although OFC has been implicated to be important in a variety of related behavioral processes, the exact mechanisms are unclear, through which the OFC encodes or processes information related to decision-making and learning. Here, we propose a systems-level view of the OFC, positioning it at the nexus of sub-cortical systems and other prefrontal regions. Particularly we focus on one of the most recent implications of neuroscientific evidences regarding the OFC - possible functional dissociation between two of its sub-regions : lateral and medial. We present a system-level computational model of decision-making and learning involving the two sub-regions taking into account their individual roles as commonly implicated in neuroscientific studies. We emphasize on the role of the interactions between the sub-regions within the OFC as well as the role of other sub-cortical structures which form a network with them. We leverage well-known computational architecture of thalamo-cortical basal ganglia loops, accounting for recent experimental findings on monkeys with lateral and medial OFC lesions, performing a 3-arm bandit task. First we replicate the seemingly dissociate effects of lesions to lateral and medial OFC during decision-making as a function of value-difference of the presented options. Further we demonstrate and argue that such an effect is not necessarily due to the dissociate roles of both the subregions, but rather a result of complex temporal dynamics between the interacting networks in which they are involved.Author summaryWe first highlight the role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) in value-based decision making and goal-directed behavior in primates. We establish the position of OFC at the intersection of cortical mechanisms and thalamo-basal ganglial circuits. In order to understand possible mechanisms through which the OFC exerts emotional control over behavior, among several other possibilities, we consider the case of dissociate roles of two of its topographical subregions - lateral and medial parts of OFC. We gather predominant roles of each of these sub-regions as suggested by numerous experimental evidences in the form of a system-level computational model that is based on existing neuronal architectures. We argue that besides possible dissociation, there could be possible interaction of these sub-regions within themselves and through other sub-cortical structures, in distinct mechanisms of choice and learning. The computational framework described accounts for experimental data and can be extended to more comprehensive detail of representations required to understand the processes of decision-making, learning and the role of OFC and subsequently the regions of prefrontal cortex in general.

scholarly journals Brain stimulation reveals crucial role of overcoming self-centeredness in self-control

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. e1600992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Soutschek ◽  
Christian C. Ruff ◽  
Tina Strombach ◽  
Tobias Kalenscher ◽  
Philippe N. Tobler
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Social Discounting ◽  
Number Recognition ◽  
Social Decision Making

Neurobiological models of self-control predominantly focus on the role of prefrontal brain mechanisms involved in emotion regulation and impulse control. We provide evidence for an entirely different neural mechanism that promotes self-control by overcoming bias for the present self, a mechanism previously thought to be mainly important for interpersonal decision-making. In two separate studies, we show that disruptive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the temporo-parietal junction—a brain region involved in overcoming one’s self-centered perspective—increases the discounting of delayed and prosocial rewards. This effect of TMS on temporal and social discounting is accompanied by deficits in perspective-taking and does not reflect altered spatial reorienting and number recognition. Our findings substantiate a fundamental commonality between the domains of self-control and social decision-making and highlight a novel aspect of the neurocognitive processes involved in self-control.

scholarly journals The Orbitofrontal Cortex Represents Advantageous Choice in the Iowa Gambling Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rujing Zha ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Meijun Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Binary Choice ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision

Abstract A good-based model proposes that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) represents binary choice outcome, i.e., the chosen good. Previous studies have found that the OFC represents the binary choice outcome in decision-making tasks involving commodity type, cost, risk, and delay. Real-life decisions are often complex and involve uncertainty, rewards, and penalties; however, whether the OFC represents binary choice outcomes in a such decision-making situation, e.g., Iowa gambling task (IGT), remains unclear. Here, we propose that the OFC represents binary choice outcome, i.e., advantageous choice versus disadvantageous choice, in the IGT. We propose two hypotheses: first, the activity pattern in the human OFC represents an advantageous choice; and second, choice induces an OFC-related functional network. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and advanced machine learning tools, we found that the OFC represented an advantageous choice in the IGT. The OFC representation of advantageous choice was related to decision-making performance. Choice modulated the functional connectivity between the OFC and the superior medial gyrus. In conclusion, the OFC represents an advantageous choice during the IGT. In the framework of a good-based model, the results extend the role of the OFC to complex decision-making when making a binary choice.

scholarly journals Neural systems underlying approach and avoidance in anxiety disorders

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-531 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Cognition And Emotion ◽  
Avoidance Behaviors ◽  
Approach Avoidance

Approach-avoidance conflict is an important psychological concept that has been used extensively to better understand cognition and emotion. This review focuses on neural systems involved in approach, avoidance, and conflict decision making, and how these systems overlap with implicated neural substrates of anxiety disorders. In particular, the role of amygdala, insula, ventral striatal, and prefrontal regions are discussed with respect to approach and avoidance behaviors. Three specific hypotheses underlying the dysfunction in anxiety disorders are proposed, including: (i) over-representation of avoidance valuation related to limbic overactivation; (ii) under- or over-representation of approach valuation related to attenuated or exaggerated striatal activation respectively; and (iii) insufficient integration and arbitration of approach and avoidance valuations related to attenuated orbitofrontal cortex activation. These dysfunctions can be examined experimentally using versions of existing decision-making paradigms, but may also require new translational and innovative approaches to probe approach-avoidance conflict and related neural systems in anxiety disorders.

scholarly journals The Role of Cognitive and Emotional Perspective Taking in Economic Decision Making in the Ultimatum Game

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e108462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruto Takagishi ◽  
Michiko Koizumi ◽  
Takayuki Fujii ◽  
Joanna Schug ◽  
Shinya Kameshima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Ultimatum Game ◽  
Economic Decision ◽  
Economic Decision Making

scholarly journals Shall I Show My Emotions? The Effects of Facial Expressions in the Ultimatum Game

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Sara Ferracci ◽  
Felice Giuliani ◽  
Alfredo Brancucci ◽  
Davide Pietroni
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Ultimatum Game ◽  
Economic Agents ◽  
The Past ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Interpersonal Emotions ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Over the past fifteen years, research has demonstrated the central role of interpersonal emotions in communicating intentions, goals and desires. These emotions can be conveyed through facial expressions during specific social interactions, such as in the context of coordination between economic agents, where information inferred from them can influence certain decision-making processes. We investigated whether four facial expressions (happiness, neutral, angry and disgusted) can affect decision-making in the Ultimatum Game (UG). In this economic game, one player (proposer) plays the first move and proposes how to allocate a given amount of money in an anonymous one-shot interaction. If the other player (responder) accepts the proposal, each player receives the allocated amount of money; if he/she rejects the offer, both players receive nothing. During the task, participants acted as the responder (Experiment 1) or the proposer (Experiment 2) while seeing the opponent’s facial expression. For the responders, the results show that the decision was mainly driven by the fairness of the offer, with a small main effect of emotion. No interaction effect was found between emotion and offer. For the proposers, the results show that participants modulated their offers on the basis of the responders’ expressed emotions. The most generous/fair offers were proposed to happy responders. Less generous/fair offers were proposed to neutral responders. Finally, the least generous/fair offers were proposed to angry and disgusted responders.

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