Neural mechanism governing the brain's risk-taking decisions decoded
UCSF researchers have proven with electrical recordings that risk-taking decisions are made through a millisecond-long struggle between two distinct regions in the brain's frontal lobe.
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has crossed a major threshold in the medical world by directly documenting with electrical recordings the neuronal war the human brain experiences when making decisions involving risk-taking and avoidance.
Background of the Study
How the human brain makes decisions in dilemmas such as accepting a high-paying risky job, moving to a new city, or entering a dangerous situation has long been a major riddle for the medical world.
Led by UCSF researchers and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the study revealed the processes taking place in the brain at the moment of decision-making through direct electrical recordings for the first time.
Experimental Process and Methodology
In experiments conducted on 6 volunteer patients who had surgical electrodes implanted in their brains due to epilepsy or psychiatric disorders, the functioning of the orbitofrontal cortex located in the frontal lobe of the brain was determined.
A special video game was designed in which participants advanced through corridors carrying risks of both reward and punishment, and players were asked to decide whether or not to enter corridors filled with treasure chests and bombs.
Role of Neuronal Regions
It was observed that half a second before participants took the risk and chose the reward, neurons in the medial orbital sulcus region located right behind the eyebrows fired intensely.
When individuals chose to avoid risk, this region was completely suppressed, and neurons in the lateral orbital sulcus area located just 2 centimeters to the right were activated.
Millisecond-Long Tug-of-War
Dr. Clara Starkweather, a neurosurgery specialist from the research team, explained that the two brain regions operate in real-time in an inversely proportional and anti-correlated manner.
It was determined that the more difficult and contradictory the decision, the longer the electrical signal exchange and back-and-forth duration between the two regions.
Future Treatment Opportunities
Pablo Billeke, a neurobiologist at the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile, stated that these findings could be a turning point in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Thanks to this developed model, new personalized neurological treatment methods can be applied for conditions such as gambling addiction, OCD, anxiety, and substance abuse.