Premature commitment to uncertain decisions during human NMDA receptor hypofunction.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychopharmacology

Background:

• Accurate decision-making relies on cognitive inference from unreliable sensory data.
• N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor dysfunction theoretically impairs noisy input integration, but its effect on human inference and confidence is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal impact of NMDA receptor hypofunction on human cognitive inference and its neural underpinnings.
• To characterize behavioral and neural changes associated with NMDA receptor hypofunction during uncertain decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Placebo-controlled ketamine infusions were administered to participants.
• Behavioral data on decision-making and confidence were collected.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record neural activity.
• Computational modeling was employed to analyze inference and confidence.

Main Results:

• Ketamine administration resulted in increased inference errors and decision uncertainty.
• EEG data revealed imbalanced evidence coding and premature response preparation.
• Computational models suggested an early commitment to inaccurate decisions.

Conclusions:

• NMDA receptor hypofunction causally impairs human cognitive inference and confidence.
• The observed impairments reflect an adaptive strategy to resolve heightened uncertainty by prematurely committing to decisions.
• Findings elucidate the role of NMDA receptors in integrating sensory evidence for robust decision-making.