The precuneus may encode irrationality in human gambling

[en] Humans often make irrational decisions, especially psychiatric patients who have dysfunctional cognitive and emotional circuitry. Understanding the neural basis of decision-making is therefore essential towards patient management, yet current studies suffer from several limitations. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in humans have dominated decision-making neuroscience, but have poor temporal resolution and the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal is only a proxy for neural activity. On the other hand, lesion studies in humans used to infer functionality in decision-making lack characterization of neural activity altogether. Using a combination of local field potential recordings in human subjects performing a financial decision-making task, spectral analyses, and non-parametric cluster statistics, we analyzed the activity in the precuneus. In nine subjects, the neural activity modulated significantly between rational and irrational trials in the precuneus (p < 0.001). In particular, high-frequency activity (70-100 Hz) increased when irrational decisions were made. Although preliminary, these results suggest suppression of gamma rhythms via electrical stimulation in the precuneus as a therapeutic intervention for pathological decision-making.

Disciplines :

Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others

Author, co-author :

Sacré, Pierre ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Dép. d'électric., électron. et informat. (Inst.Montefiore) > Robotique intelligente

Kerr, Matthew S. D.

Subramanian, Sandya

Kahn, Kevin

Gonzalez-Martinez, Jorge

Johnson, Mathew A.

Sarma, Sridevi V.

Gale, John T.

Language :

English

Title :

The precuneus may encode irrationality in human gambling

Publication date :

2016

Event name :

38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)

Event organizer :

IEEE

Event place :

Orlando, United States - Florida

Event date :

from 16-08-2016 to 20-08-2016

Audience :

International

Main work title :

Proceedings of the 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)

Publisher :

IEEE

Peer reviewed :

Peer reviewed

Available on ORBi :

since 26 November 2018

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