Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Eye Tracking During A Complex Aviation Task For Insights Into Information Processing
Published on: April 4, 2025
The angular gyrus and visuospatial attention in decision-making under risk
Bettina Studer1, Danlu Cen1, Vincent Walsh1
1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
The angular gyrus (AG) influences decision-making under risk, but only when visual attention is required. Disrupting the AG with rTMS impaired choices in visual tasks, not auditory ones, suggesting its role in guiding attention to rewards.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- The angular gyrus (AG) is implicated in decision-making under risk and visual attention.
- Previous research suggests the AG's role in processing outcome probability and variance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal role of the angular gyrus (AG) in decision-making.
- To determine if the AG's contribution to decision-making is linked to visuospatial attention.
Main Methods:
- Healthy volunteers received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the AG or premotor cortex (PMC).
- A within-subject design compared decision-making on a gambling task under rTMS and no-TMS conditions.
- The task included visual and auditory trials with varying demands on visuospatial attention.
Main Results:
- rTMS to the AG disrupted decision-making latencies in visual trials, altering the relationship between winning odds and response time.
- No significant effects of AG rTMS were observed in auditory trials.
- rTMS to the control PMC region did not affect decision-making behavior.
Conclusions:
- The angular gyrus (AG) causally contributes to decision-making specifically when visuospatial attention is engaged.
- The AG appears to facilitate decision-making by directing attention towards relevant visual information concerning potential rewards and punishments.
More Related Videos
07:12Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
Published on: April 11, 2025
06:46Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Visual Agnosia
Decision Making
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
Decision Making: Traditional Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System