image: Brain map of neural circuits encoding risk-taking bias. The neural activity in the left hemisphere is negatively correlated with bias (red), while the neural activity in the right hemisphere is positively correlated with bias (green). view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Pierre Sacré.
Electrode-mediated analysis of brain activity in 10 individuals with epilepsy that was carried out while the individuals played a computerized gambling game revealed that the individuals exhibited increased high-frequency activity in the brain's right hemisphere when they were biased toward placing risky bets and increased high-frequency activity in the brain's left hemisphere when they were biased toward avoiding risky bets, suggesting how past biases can influence brain activity tied to risk taking, according to the authors.
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Article #18-11259: "Risk-taking bias in human decision-making is encoded via a right-left brain push-pull system," by Pierre Sacré et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Pierre Sacré, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; +32498696534; email: psacre1@jhu.edu, p.sacre@uliege.be; Sridevi Sarma, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; 617-875-9380; email: ssarma2@jhu.edu
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences