title: Moral decision-making, ToM, empathy and the default mode network.
abstract: Automatic intuitions and deliberate reasoning, sourcing internal representations of our personal norms and values, contribute to our beliefs of what is right and wrong. We used fMRI to directly compare moral (M) and non-moral (NM) decision-making processes using scenarios requiring conscious deliberation, whereby the main character declared an intention to take a course of action. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between BOLD signal, associated with M>NM decision-making, and moral judgment competence, psychopathy, and empathy. We observed greater activity in various parts of Theory of Mind, empathy and default mode networks during M>NM decision-making. There was a trend for high scores on primary psychopathy to correlate with decreased M>NM BOLD activation in an area extending from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to medial prefrontal cortex. We suggest that moral decision-making entails a greater degree of internally directed processing, such as self-referential mental processing and the representation of intentions and feelings, than non-moral decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Section of Forensic Mental Health, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham Innovation Park, United Kingdom. r.l.e.p.reniers@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Renate L E P
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Reniers
authors.forename: Rhiannon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corcoran
authors.forename: Birgit A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Völlm
authors.forename: Asha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mashru
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Liddle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen