Neural Mechanisms of Decision Making Under Risk of Punishment: Insights From Rodent Models

There are few cognitive functions more essential than decision making, as better decisions improve our chances of survival. Cost-benefit decisions as they apply to most scenarios in the developed world can range from relatively mundane to reasonably important; however, particularly risky choices such as speeding on our way to work or consuming suspicious foods can pose a genuine risk of significant harm or illness. How is it that our brains learn and evaluate these risks and rewards to arrive at decisions? Additionally, what drives some of us to continue despite, or avoid because of, potential adverse consequences? This review explores neural mechanisms underlying cost-benefit decision making, focusing on paradigms used in human and particularly rodent studies to model decision making under the risk of explicit punishments, such as pain, discomfort, or loss. The review focuses on several key brain regions (the prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, and striatum), and their roles in the assessment of rewards, punishments (or risk thereof), and motivated behaviors. It also discusses pertinent literature on the role of dopamine arising from the ventral tegmental area, as a neuromodulator critical for learning and reinforcement in the context of risky decision making. This article is categorized under: Neuroscience > Behavior Economics > Individual Decision-Making Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making.