scholarly journals The Striatum’s Role in Executing Rational and Irrational Economic Behaviors

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 475-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Bamford ◽  
Nigel S. Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Dopamine Release ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Motor Movements ◽  
The Brain

The striatum is a critical component of the brain that controls motor, reward, and executive function. This ancient and phylogenetically conserved structure forms a central hub where rapid instinctive, reflexive movements and behaviors in response to sensory stimulation or the retrieval of emotional memory intersect with slower planned motor movements and rational behaviors. This review emphasizes two distinct pathways that begin in the thalamus and converge in the striatum to differentially affect movements, behaviors, and decision making. The convergence of excitatory glutamatergic activity from the thalamus and cortex, along with dopamine release in response to novel stimulation, provide the basis for motor learning, reward seeking, and habit formation. We outline how the rules derived through research on neural pathways may enhance the predictability of reflexive actions and rational responses studied in behavioral economics.

scholarly journals Motivational system modulates brain responses during exploratory decision-making

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Wei Li ◽  
Carol Yeh-Yun Lin ◽  
Ting-Ting Chang ◽  
Nai-Shing Yen ◽  
Danchi Tan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Motivational Orientation ◽  
Performance Group ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Risk Choice ◽  
The Brain

AbstractManagers face risk in explorative decision-making and those who are better at such decisions can achieve future viability. To understand what makes a manager effective at explorative decision-making requires an analysis of the manager’s motivational characteristics. The behavioral activation/inhibition system (BAS/BIS), fitting the motivational orientation of “approach” or “avoidance,” can affect individual decision-making. However, very little is known about the neural correlates of BAS/BIS orientation and their interrelationship with the mental activity during explorative decision-making. We conducted an fMRI study on 111 potential managers to investigate how the brain responses of explorative decision-making interact with BAS/BIS. Participants were separated into high- and low-performance groups based on the median exploration-score. The low-performance group showed significantly higher BAS than that of the high-performance group, and its BAS had significant negative association with neural networks related to reward-seeking during explorative decision-making. Moreover, the BIS of the low-performance group was negatively correlated with the activation of cerebral regions responding to risk-choice during explorative decision-making. Our finding showed that BAS/BIS was associated with the brain activation during explorative decision-making only in the low-performance group. This study contributed to the understanding of the micro-foundations of strategically relevant decision-making and has an implication for management development.

scholarly journals Exploring the Inner Workings of Neuron Circuits That Exhibit Persistent Activity To Explain How Working Memory and Executive Function Are Implemented in The Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Persistent Activity ◽  
Storage Mechanism ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
The Brain

In this research we explore in detail how a phenomenon called sustained persistent activity is achieved by circuits of interconnected neurons. Persistent activity is a phenomenon that has been extensively studied (Papoutsi et al. 2013; Kaminski et. al. 2017; McCormick et al. 2003; Rahman, and Berger, 2011). Persistent activity consists in neuron circuits whose spiking activity remains even after the initial stimuli are removed. Persistent activity has been found in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and has been correlated to working memory and decision making (Clayton E. Curtis and Daeyeol Lee, 2010). We go beyond the explanation of how persistent activity happens and show how arrangements of those basic circuits encode and store data and are used to perform more elaborated tasks and computations. The purpose of the model we propose here is to describe the minimum number of neurons and their interconnections required to explain persistent activity and how this phenomenon is actually a fast storage mechanism required for implementing working memory, task processing and decision making.

The Neurophysiology of Acupuncture: A Viewpoint

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miltiades Karavis
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Psychiatric Disease ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Enzyme Release ◽  
Pain Syndromes ◽  
Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽  
Electric Injury ◽  
Sensory Neural ◽  
The Brain

Acupuncture is a specialised sensory stimulation that is analysed through sensory neural pathways. Therefore to understand its action we have to analyse the anatomy, physiology and pharmacology of the nervous system, aided with a knowledge of neuroendocrinology and the chemoarchitecture of the brain. Various neural theories have been developed to explain the mechanisms of acupuncture. It is now evident that acupuncture reacts at local, regional (spinal cord) and general (brain) levels. Therefore, inserting one or more needles at particular points (or areas) of the body activates neural pathways on three different levels, provoking local, regional, and general reactions. The local reaction is a multifactorial phenomenon. The electric injury potential due to the needle, the presence and synthesis of opioid peptides at the site of injury, and substance P, histamine like substances, bradikinin, serotonin and proteolitic enzyme release around the needle, all occur during needling. The regional reaction concerns the activation of a larger area (2–3 dermatomes) via reflex arches. We can analyse the viscero-cutaneous, cutaneo-visceral, cutaneo-muscular and viscero-muscular reflexes and also the vegetative, stretch and polysynaptic segmental reflexes. The general reaction mainly activates the brain central mechanism of internal homoeostasis. We can explain the action of acupuncture in acute and chronic pain syndromes, in addiction and in psychiatric disease through the role of central neurotransmitters and the modulatory systems that are activated by acupoints: opioid, non-opioid and central sympathetic inhibitory mechanisms.

Current Strategies and Novel Drug Approaches for Alzheimer Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 676-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roma Ghai ◽  
Kandasamy Nagarajan ◽  
Meenakshi Arora ◽  
Parul Grover ◽  
Nazakat Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cholinergic Neurons ◽  
Amyloid Plaque ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Personality Changes ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Novel Drug ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a chronic, devastating dysfunction of neurons in the brain leading to dementia. It mainly arises due to neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus area of the brain and is clinically manifested as a progressive mental failure, disordered cognitive functions, personality changes, reduced verbal fluency and impairment of speech. The pathology behind AD is the formation of intraneuronal fibrillary tangles, deposition of amyloid plaque and decline in choline acetyltransferase and loss of cholinergic neurons. Tragically, the disease cannot be cured, but its progression can be halted. Various cholinesterase inhibitors available in the market like Tacrine, Donepezil, Galantamine, Rivastigmine, etc. are being used to manage the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The paper’s objective is to throw light not only on the cellular/genetic basis of the disease, but also on the current trends and various strategies of treatment including the use of phytopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Enormous literature survey was conducted and published articles of PubMed, Scifinder, Google Scholar, Clinical Trials.org and Alzheimer Association reports were studied intensively to consolidate the information on the strategies available to combat Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, several strategies are being investigated for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Immunotherapies targeting amyloid-beta plaques, tau protein and neural pathways are undergoing clinical trials. Moreover, antisense oligonucleotide methodologies are being approached as therapies for its management. Phytopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are also gaining attention in overcoming the symptoms related to AD. The present review article concludes that novel and traditional therapies simultaneously promise future hope for AD treatment.

scholarly journals Hippocampal regenerative medicine: neurogenic implications for addiction and mental disorders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Peyton ◽  
Alfredo Oliveros ◽  
Doo-Sup Choi ◽  
Mi-Hyeon Jang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disease ◽  
Motivated Behavior

AbstractPsychiatric illness is a prevalent and highly debilitating disorder, and more than 50% of the general population in both middle- and high-income countries experience at least one psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives. As we continue to learn how pervasive psychiatric episodes are in society, we must acknowledge that psychiatric disorders are not solely relegated to a small group of predisposed individuals but rather occur in significant portions of all societal groups. Several distinct brain regions have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. These brain regions include corticolimbic structures, which regulate executive function and decision making (e.g., the prefrontal cortex), as well as striatal subregions known to control motivated behavior under normal and stressful conditions. Importantly, the corticolimbic neural circuitry includes the hippocampus, a critical brain structure that sends projections to both the cortex and striatum to coordinate learning, memory, and mood. In this review, we will discuss past and recent discoveries of how neurobiological processes in the hippocampus and corticolimbic structures work in concert to control executive function, memory, and mood in the context of mental disorders.

scholarly journals Antagonism between brain regions relevant for cognitive control and emotional memory facilitates the generation of humorous ideas

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Andreas Fink ◽  
Arne Nagels ◽  
Benjamin Straube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Successful Resolution ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe ability to generate humor gives rise to positive emotions and thus facilitate the successful resolution of adversity. Although there is consensus that inhibitory processes might be related to broaden the way of thinking, the neural underpinnings of these mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a humorous alternative uses task and a stroop task, to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of humorous ideas in 24 subjects. Neuroimaging results indicate that greater cognitive control abilities are associated with increased activation in the amygdala, the hippocampus and the superior and medial frontal gyrus during the generation of humorous ideas. Examining the neural mechanisms more closely shows that the hypoactivation of frontal brain regions is associated with an hyperactivation in the amygdala and vice versa. This antagonistic connectivity is concurrently linked with an increased number of humorous ideas and enhanced amygdala responses during the task. Our data therefore suggests that a neural antagonism previously related to the emergence and regulation of negative affective responses, is linked with the generation of emotionally positive ideas and may represent an important neural pathway supporting mental health.

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