Endogenous fluctuations in the dopaminergic midbrain drive behavioral choice variability.

ABSTRACT: Human behavior is surprisingly variable, even when facing the same problem under identical circumstances. A prominent example is risky decision making. Economic theories struggle to explain why humans are so inconsistent. Resting-state studies suggest that ongoing endogenous fluctuations in brain activity can influence low-level perceptual and motor processes, but it remains unknown whether endogenous fluctuations also influence high-level cognitive processes including decision making. Here, using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested whether risky decision making is influenced by endogenous fluctuations in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activity in the dopaminergic midbrain, encompassing ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra. We show that low prestimul

SUBMITTER: Chew B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6744888 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature