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Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation.
Jorge Moll1, Frank Krueger, Roland Zahn
1Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1440, USA.
Summary
Neuroscience reveals the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroeconomics
- Social Neuroscience
- Moral Psychology
Background:
- Humans exhibit altruism by sacrificing material gains for societal causes.
- Charitable donation is a key manifestation of this behavior, yet its neural underpinnings are not fully understood.
- Understanding the neural basis of altruism beyond interpersonal interactions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying decisions to donate or oppose societal causes.
- To identify brain regions involved in moral decision-making related to charitable giving.
- To explore the neural correlates of altruistic choices overriding self-interest.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Participants anonymously donated to or opposed real charitable organizations.
- Brain activity was measured during these moral decision-making tasks.
Main Results:
- Donating to societal causes activated the mesolimbic reward system, similar to receiving monetary rewards.
- Medial orbitofrontal-subgenual and lateral orbitofrontal areas were specifically involved in decisions to support or oppose causes.
- Anterior prefrontal cortex regions were uniquely recruited when altruism superseded material self-interest.
Conclusions:
- The mesolimbic reward system plays a role in the rewarding aspect of altruistic behavior towards societal causes.
- Specific prefrontal cortex areas mediate the complex moral decisions involved in charitable giving and opposition.
- Altruistic choices that conflict with self-interest engage distinct neural pathways in the anterior prefrontal cortex.
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