RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Selective Increase of Intention-Based Economic Decisions by Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 3412
OP 3419
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3885-14.2015
VO 35
IS 8
A1 Nihonsugi, Tsuyoshi
A1 Ihara, Aya
A1 Haruno, Masahiko
YR 2015
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/8/3412.abstract
AB The intention behind another's action and the impact of the outcome are major determinants of human economic behavior. It is poorly understood, however, whether the two systems share a core neural computation. Here, we investigated whether the two systems are causally dissociable in the brain by integrating computational modeling, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and transcranial direct current stimulation experiments in a newly developed trust game task. We show not only that right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity is correlated with intention-based economic decisions and that ventral striatum and amygdala activity are correlated with outcome-based decisions, but also that stimulation to the DLPFC selectively enhances intention-based decisions. These findings suggest that the right DLPFC is involved in the implementation of intention-based decisions in the processing of cooperative decisions. This causal dissociation of cortical and subcortical backgrounds may indicate evolutionary and developmental differences in the two decision systems.