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Reason and Intuition

Reason and Intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...

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Updated: May 13, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

Resting-state functional connectivity predicts impulsivity in economic decision-making.

Nan Li¹, Ning Ma, Ying Liu

¹Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|March 15, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Resting-state brain connectivity predicts impulsivity in decision-making. This brain organization may serve as a biomarker for predicting economic choices and impulsive behaviors.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Decision Science

Background:

Neuroimaging studies link task-related brain activity to impulsive decision-making.
The relationship between impulsivity and resting-state brain activity is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between resting-state functional brain connectivity and impulsivity in decision-making.
To determine if resting-state functional connectivity can predict economic decision-making behavior.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record brain activity in adults during rest and a delay discounting task (DDT).
Four DDT-related brain networks were identified: money, time, frontoparietal, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-anterior insular cortex networks.
Resting-state functional connectivity within these networks was correlated with participants' discounting rates (a measure of impulsivity).

Main Results:

Resting-state functional connectivity in DDT-related brain networks significantly correlated with participants' discounting rates.
This resting-state functional connectivity was also able to predict individual discounting rates in an independent group.
Specific networks (money, time, frontoparietal, and dACC-AIC) were associated with valuation and choice processes during the DDT.

Conclusions:

Resting-state functional organization of the brain may serve as a biomarker for impulsivity.
Brain connectivity during rest can predict economic decision-making behavior and impulsivity.
These findings advance our understanding of the neural underpinnings of decision-making and impulsivity.