Metabolic state alters economic decision making under risk in humans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Animals' attitudes to risk are profoundly influenced by metabolic state (hunger and baseline energy stores). Specifically, animals often express a preference for risky (more variable) food sources when below a metabolic reference point (hungry), and safe (less variable) food sources when sated. Circulating hormones report the status of energy reserves and acute nutrient intake to widespread targets in the central nervous system that regulate feeding behaviour, including brain regions strongly implicated in risk and reward based decision-making in humans. Despite this, physiological influences per se have not been considered previously to influence economic decisions in humans. We hypothesised that baseline metabolic reserves and alterations in metabolic state would syste

SUBMITTER: Symmonds M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2886827 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature