Impaired social decision-making in males with methamphetamine use disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is associated with socially problematic behaviors.
• Understanding prosocial decision-making in MUD is crucial for addressing impaired social functioning and relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate prosocial decision-making in individuals with MUD using a modified dictator game.
• To examine the impact of methamphetamine-related cues on prosocial behavior in MUD.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with male individuals diagnosed with MUD and healthy male controls.
• Participants completed a modified dictator game assessing choices between monetary prizes for self versus others.
• Study 2 included a brief exposure to methamphetamine-related images before the decision-making task.

Main Results:

• Individuals with MUD consistently exhibited decreased prosociality in disadvantageous contexts, unlike in advantageous contexts.
• Computational modeling indicated reduced prosociality in MUD was linked to lower weighting of others' benefits.
• Methamphetamine-related cues led to reduced caution and slower processing speed in individuals with MUD.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with MUD demonstrate reduced prosociality and diminished consideration for others' benefits in disadvantageous situations.
• Findings suggest that alterations in prosocial decision-making in MUD have implications for diagnosis and treatment strategies.