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Risk-taking bias in human decision-making is encoded via a right-left brain push-pull system
Pierre Sacré1, Matthew S D Kerr2, Sandya Subramanian2
1Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218; psacre1@jhu.edu ssarma2@jhu.edu.
Summary
Internal bias influences human decision-making variability. This study reveals a lateralized neural system in the brain, with distinct hemispheric activity patterns, that governs risk-taking bias and counterintuitive choices.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Human decision-making exhibits variability, even with consistent options, influenced by internal biases like emotion.
- The neurobiological underpinnings of how internal bias shapes decision-making variability remain poorly understood.
- Past outcomes significantly shape internal bias, impacting choices in scenarios like gambling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the neural circuits encoding internal bias during decision-making.
- To investigate the electrophysiological correlates of risk-taking bias.
- To understand the neurobiology of highly variable human decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Administered a gambling task to 10 participants with intracerebral depth electrodes.
- Utilized a dynamical model of choice to estimate individual bias from betting behavior.
- Analyzed high-frequency neural activity in cortical and subcortical structures.
Main Results:
- Individual bias successfully predicted betting behavior variability.
- Increased high-frequency activity in the right hemisphere correlated with bias toward risky bets.
- Increased high-frequency activity in the left hemisphere correlated with bias away from risky bets.
Conclusions:
- Electrophysiological evidence demonstrates a lateralized push-pull neural system for risk-taking bias.
- This system governs counterintuitive and highly variable decision-making in humans.
- Findings illuminate the neurobiology of decision-making variability and bias.
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