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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 510-517 PubMed PMID: 25433845 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Antisocial Personality Disorder:diagnosis, Choice Behavior, Female, Gambling:psychology, Games, Experimental, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Models, Psychological, Predictive Value of Tests, Probability, Risk-Taking, Young Adult,.   

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationships between psychopathy and impulsive and risky decision making, by utilizing intertemporal and probabilistic choices for both gain and loss, in addition to the Iowa gambling task.

METHODS: The Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised - a 154-item measure that assesses psychopathic traits by self-report - was used with a 4-point response scale to assess 113 undergraduate students from three Japanese universities. Participants' performance on the Iowa Gambling Task and four behavioral neuroeconomic tasks of discounting - delayed gain, delayed loss, uncertain gain, and uncertain loss - were estimated.

RESULTS: Risky decisions in probability discounting of gain and loss were associated with psychopathy. Psychopathic traits had no relationship with performance on the Iowa Gambling and were not significantly related to delay discounting.

CONCLUSIONS: Psychopathy is predicted by risky decision in probability discounting of gain and loss, but not strongly associated with future myopia. Implications of the present findings for neuroeconomics and neurolaw are discussed....

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Journal Article 2012; 33(7): 667-673 PubMed PMID: 23391873 Citation  Keywords:  Brain Chemistry, Criminology:economics, Humans, Mental Disorders:economics, Models, Economic, Punishment, Risk-Taking,.   

: Criminal behaviors have been associated with risk, time and social preferences in economics (Becker 1968; Davis 1988), criminology (Chamlin & Cochran 1997), and neurolaw (Goodenough & Tucker 2010). This study proposes a molecular neuroeconomic framework for the investigation into crime and punishment. Neuroeconomic parameters (e.g., risk-attitude, probability weighting, time discounting in intertemporal choice, loss aversion, and social discounting) are predicted to be related to criminal behavior. Neurobiological and neuroendocrinological substrates such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, cortisol (a stress hormone), sex hormones (e.g., testosterone), and oxytocin in brain regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the cingulate may be related to the neuroeconomic parameters governing criminal behaviors. The present framework may help us develop "neurolaw" based on molecular neuroeconomics of criminal and antisocial decision-making processes....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(6): 749-752 PubMed PMID: 20038936 Citation  Keywords:  Alcohol Drinking:psychology, Behavior, Addictive:psychology, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior:psychology, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Probability, Risk-Taking, Young Adult,.   

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the relationship between alcohol and discounting of loss, one of procrastinative behaviors. This study examined the relationship between the frequency of alcohol use and discounting delayed and probabilistic gain and loss, which is of interest in neuroeconomics of addiction.

METHODS: Thirty-three subjects conducted tasks of delay and probability discounting of gain and loss. Their alcohol use was also assessed.

RESULTS: The frequency of alcohol use was significantly correlated with the degree to which delayed monetary losses were discounted.

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent use of alcohol may associate with an increased degree of procrastination. Further, the degrees of delay discounting of loss could be a predictor of a frequent alcohol intake....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 399-404 PubMed PMID: 18766164 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Decision Making:physiology, Economics, Humans, Mathematics, Models, Neurological, Physical Phenomena, Physics, Receptors, Neurotransmitter:metabolism, Risk, Risk-Taking,.   

: Decision under risk and uncertainty has been attracting attention in neuroeconomics and neuroendocrinology of decision-making. This paper demonstrated that the neurotransmitter receptor theory-based value (utility) function can account for human and animal risk-taking behavior. The theory predicts that (i) when dopaminergic neuronal response is efficiently coupled to the formation of ligand-receptor complex, subjects are risk-aversive (irrespective of their satisfaction level) and (ii) when the coupling is inefficient, subjects are risk-seeking at low satisfaction levels, consistent with risk-sensitive foraging theory in ecology. It is further suggested that some anomalies in decision under risk are due to inefficiency of the coupling between dopamine receptor activation and neuronal response. Future directions in the application of the model to studies in neuroeconomics of addiction and neuroendocrine modulation of risk-taking behavior are discussed....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(4): 439-444 PubMed PMID: 16891992 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Choice Behavior:physiology, Decision Making:physiology, Economics, Humans, Impulsive Behavior:metabolism, Male, Nonlinear Dynamics, Risk-Taking, Saliva:metabolism, Surveys and Questionnaires, Testosterone:metabolism, Time Factors,.   

OBJECTIVES: Although impulsivity has been associated with androgens (e.g., testosterone), little is known regarding the relationship between testosterone levels and impulsivity in intertemporal choice (delay discounting). This study was aimed to examine the relationship between delay discounting of gains and losses and testosterone levels, which is of interest in neuroendocrinology and neuroeconomics.

METHODS: We assessed degrees to which delayed monetary gains and losses were discounted (hyperbolic discounting rate) in healty male students (age: 22.4+/-2.67). Participants' salivary testosterone levels were also assessed by utilizing liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) method.

RESULTS: Non-linear curve fitting analysis showed an inverted-U relationship between delay discounting of gains and salivary testosterone levels; while no relationship between salivary testosterone levels and delay discounting of losses was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that (i) testosterone may enhance delay discounting rate of gains in non-impulsive subjects, (ii) testosterone may have an opposite (reducing) effect on delay discounting rate of gains in impulsive subjects, and (iii) testosterone is unrelated to subject's sensitivity to future bad outcomes. Implications for evaluating the effects of testosterone treatment and anti-androgenic therapy on impulsive behavior often observed in psychiatrics (e.g., pathological gambling, credit card debt, substance misuse, and needle-sharing) are discussed....

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