title: Brain correlates of risky decision-making.
abstract: Understanding the neurocognitive basis of risk-taking behavior is an important issue, especially in economic decision-making. Classical behavioral studies have shown that risk-attitude changes across different contexts, but little is so far known about the brain correlates of processing of outcomes across such context shifts. In this study, EEG was recorded while subjects performed a gambling task. Participants could choose between a risky and a safer option, within two different contexts: one in which options yielded gains and losses of the same magnitude (Zero Expected Value context) and another in which gains were larger than losses (Positive Expected Value context). Based on their risk-attitude, two groups were compared: subjects who are risk-seekers in the zero Expected Value context (Zero-Oriented group) and subjects who are risk-seekers in the positive Expected Value condition (Positive-Oriented group). The Feedback Related Negativity (FRN) reflects this distinction, with each group being insensitive to magnitude of outcomes in the condition in which they were risk-prone. P300 amplitude mirrored the behavioral results, with larger amplitudes in the condition in which each group showed a higher risk-tendency. Source analyses highlighted the involvement of posterior cingulate cortex in risky decision-making. Taken together, the findings make a contribution to the clarification of the neurocognitive substrates of risky decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Universitätsstrabetae 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. david.polezzi@unipd.it
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polezzi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rumiati
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vidotto
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Daum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D005715:Gambling; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D055815:Young Adult