title: From Blame to Punishment: Disrupting Prefrontal Cortex Activity Reveals Norm Enforcement Mechanisms.
abstract: The social welfare provided by cooperation depends on the enforcement of social norms. Determining blameworthiness and assigning a deserved punishment are two cognitive cornerstones of norm enforcement. Although prior work has implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in norm-based judgments, the relative contribution of this region to blameworthiness and punishment decisions remains poorly understood. Here, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and fMRI to determine the specific role of DLPFC function in norm-enforcement behavior. DLPFC rTMS reduced punishment for wrongful acts without affecting blameworthiness ratings, and fMRI revealed punishment-selective DLPFC recruitment, suggesting that these two facets of norm-based decision making are neurobiologically dissociable. Finally, we show that DLPFC rTMS affects punishment decision making by altering the integration of information about culpability and harm. Together, these findings reveal a selective, causal role for DLPFC in norm enforcement: representational integration of the distinct information streams used to make punishment decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114 USA. Electronic address: joshua_buckholtz@harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Joshua W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Buckholtz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: Justin W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row #270, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Treadway
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Zald
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Law School, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: Owen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA; Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37235, USA. Electronic address: rene.marois@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marois
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011678:Punishment; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D066262:Social Norms; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult