title: Neural correlates of the impact of prior outcomes on subsequent monetary decision-making in frequent poker players.
abstract: Individuals have a tendency to be more risky in their choices after having experienced a monetary loss, than after a reward. Here, we examined whether prior outcomes influence differently the patterns of neural activity of individuals who are used to taking monetary risk, namely poker players. High-frequency poker players and non-gamblers were scanned while performing a controlled task that allowed measuring the effect of prior outcomes on subsequent decisions. Both non-gamblers and poker players took more risks after losing a gamble than after winning one. Neuroimaging data revealed that non-gamblers exhibited higher brain activation than poker players when pondering a decision after losing, as compared to after winning. The opposite was found in poker players. This differential pattern of activation was observed in brain regions involved in high-order motor processes (the dorsal premotor cortex). These results suggest that gambling habits introduce significant changes in action preparation during decision-making following wins and losses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, and Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Laboratory of Medical Psychology and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, Brugmann-campus, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: brevers@usc.edu.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brevers
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain and Cognitive Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, and Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bechara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Decision-making; Dorsal premotor cortex; Loss-chasing; Poker players; fMRI