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Brain Sciences
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Neurobiology of Choice Behavior
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Neurobiology of Choice Behavior

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2023) | Viewed by 7936

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Youngbin Kwak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neuro Learning & Performance Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
Interests: humans learn; adjust; make decisions; choice behaviors

Special Issue Information

The neuroscience of decision making is a very broad enterprise and crosses many traditional boundaries between research disciplines, species, and brain regions. More recently, researchers in psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and computational neuroscience have started to apply these theoretical principles to studying the choice behavior and its neural underpinnings in the laboratory—for example, the electrophysiological study of animals making choices for primary rewards and the neuroimaging study of the financial decision-making process in humans. Furthermore, researchers in all of these fields are simultaneously studying how learning guides decision making and how computations related to decision making and choice are represented by neural systems. Therefore, this topic aims to understand how humans learn, judge, and make decisions in daily activities or in a new environment, how these abilities change across the lifespan and in neurological diseases, and what the neural and physiological underpinnings of these behaviors are.

In this Special Issue, we solicit contributions from researchers in neurobiology, behavior, and computational neuroscience which discuss the neural mechanisms underlying decision making and adaptive behavior, and development in neurological diseases.

Dr. Youngbin Kwak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • choice behavior
  • decision making
  • adjust
  • learning
  • awards
  • addiction
  • neural mechanisms
  • neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG)
  • computational neuroscience

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1033 KiB  
Article
Self-Awareness of Goals Task (SAGT) and Planning Skills: The Neuroscience of Decision Making
by Michela Balconi, Laura Angioletti and Carlotta Acconito
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(8), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13081163 - 03 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1285
Abstract
A goal’s self-awareness and the planning to achieve it drive decision makers. Through a neuroscientific approach, this study explores the self-awareness of goals by analyzing the explicit and implicit processes linked to the ability to self-represent goals and sort them via an implicit [...] Read more.
A goal’s self-awareness and the planning to achieve it drive decision makers. Through a neuroscientific approach, this study explores the self-awareness of goals by analyzing the explicit and implicit processes linked to the ability to self-represent goals and sort them via an implicit dominant key. Thirty-five professionals performed a novel and ecological decision-making task, the Self-Awareness of Goals Task (SAGT), aimed at exploring the (i) self-representation of the decision-making goals of a typical working day; (ii) self-representation of how these goals were performed in order of priority; (iii) temporal sequence; and (iv) in terms of their efficacy. Electrophysiological (i.e., alpha, beta, and gamma band), autonomic, behavioral, and self-report data (General Decision Making Style and Big Five Inventory) are collected. Higher self-awareness of goals by time as well as efficacy and the greater activation of alpha, beta, and gamma bands in the temporoparietal brain area were found. Correlations reported positive associations between the self-awareness of goals via a time and dependent decision-making style and a conscientious personality, but also between the self-awareness of goals via an efficacy and rational decision-making style. The results obtained in this study suggest that the SAGT could activate recursive thinking in the examinee and grasp individual differences in self-representation and aware identification of decision-making goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurobiology of Choice Behavior)
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19 pages, 2365 KiB  
Article
Gait Indicators Contribute to Screening Cognitive Impairment: A Single- and Dual-Task Gait Study
by Xiaoqin Wang, Wuhan Yu, Lihong Huang, Mengyu Yan, Wenbo Zhang, Jiaqi Song, Xintong Liu, Weihua Yu and Yang Lü
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(1), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13010154 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1526
Abstract
Background: Screening cognitive impairment is complex and not an appliance for early screening. Gait performance is strongly associated with cognitive impairment. Objectives: We aimed to explore gait indicators that could potentially screen cognitive dysfunction. Methods: A total of 235 subjects were recruited [...] Read more.
Background: Screening cognitive impairment is complex and not an appliance for early screening. Gait performance is strongly associated with cognitive impairment. Objectives: We aimed to explore gait indicators that could potentially screen cognitive dysfunction. Methods: A total of 235 subjects were recruited from June 2021 to June 2022. Four gait tasks, including the walking test, the timed “Up & Go” test (TUG), foot pressure balance (FPB), and one-legged standing with eyes closed test (OLS-EC), were performed. Moreover, in the walking test, participants were instructed to walk at their usual pace for the single-gait test. For the dual-task tests, participants walked at their usual pace while counting backward from 100 by 1s. The data were analyzed by the independent sample t-test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression, a linear trend, stratified and interaction analysis, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Pearson’s correlations. Results: Among the 235 participants, 81 (34.5%) were men and 154 (65.5%) were women. The mean age of participants was 72 ± 7.836 years. The control, MCI, mild AD, and severe AD groups had means of 71, 63, 71, and 30, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, education, and body mass index (BMI), the dual-task toe-off-ground angle (TOA) (odds ratio (OR) = 0.911, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.847, 0.979), single-task TOA (OR = 0.904, 95% CI: 0.841–0.971), and the timed “Up & Go” time (TUGT) (OR = 1.515, 95% CI: 1.243–1.846) were significantly associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. In addition, the trend test and stratified analysis results had no significant differences (all p > 0.05). The area under the roc curve (AUC) values of TOA in the dual-task and TUGT were 0.812 and 0.847, respectively. Additionally, TOA < 36.75° in the dual-task, TOA < 38.90° in the single-task, and TUGT > 9.83 seconds (s) are likely to indicate cognitive impairment. The cognitive assessment scale scores were significantly correlated with TOA (all r > 0.3, p < 0.001) and TUGT (all r > 0.2), respectively. Conclusion: TOA and TUGT scores are, in some circumstances, associated with cognitive impairment; therefore, they can be used as simple initial screenings to identify patients at risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurobiology of Choice Behavior)
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8 pages, 1100 KiB  
Article
Volumetric Variability of the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Reflects the Propensity for Engaging in High-Stakes Gambling Behavior
by Kyuli Lee, Nayoung Kim, Eun-Joo Jeong, Min-Suk Kang and M. Justin Kim
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(11), 1460; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12111460 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1415
Abstract
The human ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been traditionally associated with decision-making under risk. Neuroimaging studies of such decision-making processes have largely focused on patients with vmPFC lesions or pathological gambling behavior, leading to a relative paucity of work focusing on the structural [...] Read more.
The human ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been traditionally associated with decision-making under risk. Neuroimaging studies of such decision-making processes have largely focused on patients with vmPFC lesions or pathological gambling behavior, leading to a relative paucity of work focusing on the structural variability of the vmPFC in healthy individuals. To address this, we developed a decision-making task that allowed healthy players to choose to participate in either low stakes or high-stakes gambling on a trial-by-trial basis, and computed a metric that indexes the propensity for engaging in gambles with greater potential payoffs. We leveraged voxel-based morphometric analyses to examine the association between prefrontal gray matter volume and individual differences in the propensity for seeking high-risk/high-reward situations. Our analyses showed that vmPFC gray matter volume was inversely correlated with an increased tendency for engaging in high-stakes gambling. These results converge with findings from functional neuroimaging and brain lesion studies of vmPFC, and further extend them to show that normative variability in brain structure could also underpin risk-taking behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurobiology of Choice Behavior)
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19 pages, 2764 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Unlimited Sucrose Intake on Body Weight and Behavior—Findings from a Mouse Model
by Olga Dubljević, Vanja Ković, Željko Pavković, Miloš Mitić and Vesna Pešić
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(10), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12101332 - 30 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1285
Abstract
A potential relationship between unrestricted sucrose intake (USI), overweight, and emotional/behavioral control has not been well documented. We examined the influence of USI and having less sweetness than expected on body weight (BW), motor/exploratory, anxiety-like, and social dominant behavior in adult C57BL/6J male [...] Read more.
A potential relationship between unrestricted sucrose intake (USI), overweight, and emotional/behavioral control has not been well documented. We examined the influence of USI and having less sweetness than expected on body weight (BW), motor/exploratory, anxiety-like, and social dominant behavior in adult C57BL/6J male mice. Animals had free access to water (group 1) or 32% sucrose and water (sucrose groups 2–5) for 10 days. Then, group 2 remained with 32% sucrose while groups 3–5 were subjected to the downshift (24 h access to 4%, 8%, or 16% sucrose). All experimental groups were weighed and tested in the novel-open arena (NA), elevated plus maze (EPM), and tube tests to assess BW, motor/exploratory, anxiety-like, and social dominance behavior, respectively. USI did not influence animals’ BW but produced hyperactivity and anxiolytic-like behavior, which was evident in EPM but not in NA; the outcomes of the downshift were comparable. USI did not influence successes/wins in the tube test but altered emotions that drive the winning, favoring a less anxious behavioral phenotype; this was not evident in the downshifted groups. Observed findings suggest that USI promotes sensation-seeking and motivates dominance, without changing BW, while blunted emotional base of social dominance might be an early mark of the downshift. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurobiology of Choice Behavior)
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13 pages, 1645 KiB  
Article
Behavior of Rats in a Self-Paced Risky Decision-Making Task Based on Definite Probability
by Minzhe Yang, Qiangpei Fu, Xu Hu, Baoming Li and Chaolin Ma
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(6), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060795 - 17 Jun 2022
Viewed by 1624
Abstract
Risky decision-making (RDM) is when individuals make choices based on the definite cognition for the probabilities of the options. Risk is embodied in the certainty of reward, and the smaller the probability is, the greater the risk will be. As simulated in human [...] Read more.
Risky decision-making (RDM) is when individuals make choices based on the definite cognition for the probabilities of the options. Risk is embodied in the certainty of reward, and the smaller the probability is, the greater the risk will be. As simulated in human behavior paradigms, RDM scenarios in real life are often guided by external cues that inform the likelihood of receiving certain rewards. There are few studies on the neural basis of RDM behavior guided by external cues, which is related to the relative paucity of the animal behavioral paradigms. Here, we established a cue-guided RDM task to detect the behavior of rats making a decision between a small certain reward and a large uncertain reward in a naturalistic manner. The reward of the risk option could be adjusted to observe the change of choice. Our results showed that: (1) rats were able to master the operation of the cue-guided RDM task; (2) many rats were inclined to choose risk rather than the safe option when the reward expectations were equal; (3) rats were able to adjust the decision strategy in time upon a change in risk, suggesting that they have the ability to perceive risk indicated by the external cues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neurobiology of Choice Behavior)
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