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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
Published on: September 19, 2012
Risk-taking in humans and the medial orbitofrontal cortex reward system
Edmund T Rolls1, Zhuo Wan2, Wei Cheng3
1Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China; Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, UK.
Human risk-taking is linked to brain connectivity patterns, particularly in reward-related areas like the medial orbitofrontal cortex. These findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of impulsive behaviors and individual differences in decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Genetics
Background:
- Risk-taking behavior varies significantly among individuals and is associated with personality traits such as impulsivity and sensation-seeking.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of risk-taking is crucial for addressing related behavioral issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the brain systems associated with self-reported risk-taking behavior.
- To identify specific functional brain connectivities linked to higher propensity for risk-taking.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of resting-state functional connectivity in 18,740 UK Biobank participants.
- Correlation of functional connectivity data with self-reported risk-taking, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, and anxiety levels.
- Cross-validation of findings in two independent datasets.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher functional connectivity was observed in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), and parahippocampal areas in individuals with higher risk-taking tendencies (p < 0.001).
- Risk-taking measures strongly correlated with alcohol and cannabis use, and inversely with anxious feelings.
- Enhanced connectivity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and VMPFC extended to the anterior cingulate cortex.
Conclusions:
- Risk-taking behavior is associated with heightened functional connectivity in specific orbitofrontal cortex reward systems.
- These findings suggest that individual differences in risk-taking are underpinned by distinct neural representations of reward value and pleasure.
- This research provides novel insights into the neurobiological mechanisms driving human risk-taking and its association with impulsivity.
