Understanding the specific vs. generalized role of the prefrontal cortex for prosocial decision-making. In particular, we want to investigate whether the prefrontal cortex is recruited during the evaluation of the abstract cost-benefit ratio of one*…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
Synonym
Health condition
The experiment is conducted on healthy participants. In the proposed project we test behaviour during social cognition (e.g. affective sharing) and prosocial behaviour
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The primary outcome of the study will be the participant's performance in our
behavioral task (choice behavior).
Secondary outcome
We will also use other behavioral indicators such as the proportion of
prosocial choices and reaction time as secondary indicators.
Background summary
Empathy for another*s suffering and harm avoidance for other individuals are
fundamental skills in human social behaviour and integral features of social
decision making (Shamay-Tsoory & Lamm, 2018; Cutler & Campbell-Meiklejohn,
2019). Especially the dorsolateral part of the prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) has
been implicated as a key region in abstract cost-benefit evaluation and
self-other decisions. However, while recent years have brought considerable
advances in understanding the involvement of the prefrontal cortex, several
crucial questions remain unanswered. In particular, experimental evidence
allowing for causal conclusions regarding the specific contribution of the
dlPFC to prosocial decision-making in the domain of pain is missing (see e.g.
Bellucci et al., 2020; Crockett et al., 2017; FeldmanHall et al., 2015; Ong et
al., 2018; Plassmann et al., 2007; Reniers et al., 2014; Thirioux et al., 2014;
van Veluw & Chance, 2014; but also Liao et al., 2018 for medial prefrontal
areas).
Study objective
Understanding the specific vs. generalized role of the prefrontal cortex for
prosocial decision-making. In particular, we want to investigate whether the
prefrontal cortex is recruited during the evaluation of the abstract
cost-benefit ratio of one*s own in relation to another*s benefit.
Study design
Participants will be tested in one single session of 3h. To answer our research
question, it is crucial to induce a realistic, effective dilemma where a state
of distress shown by another person is weighed against one*s own financial
gains. Participants will be told a cover story where he/she will be paired up
with another participant (in reality a confederate) and both will draw lots to
distribute two roles, one the receiver and one the decider of pain. The
participant will always be assigned the role of decider in order to investigate
prosocial behaviour. Participant and confederate are then guided into separate
rooms for the task. The participant has to make binary choices involving their
own financial gain and the pain of that other participant.
Participants will receive active repetitive TMS (6Hz stimulation, 18
pulses/trial) during the decision phase on either the dlPFC or sham stimulation
over a control region of similar depth.
As an outcome, we will then measure the effects of dlPFC interference on
prosocial behavior (operationalized as the choice behavior in each trial) and
compare it with the results in the control condition. The resulting differences
in prosocial behaviour will reveal the main function of the dlPFC within the
multifaceted process of prosocial decision-making and will yield important
insights regarding the complex interplay between potentially conflicting
processes such as affect sharing, cost-benefit evaluations, and prosocial
behaviour.
Study burden and risks
For repetitive TMS the main issue is the possibility of inducing a mild
headache during and minutes after the stimulation. However, risks are minimized
by the screening procedure, as we will screen participants for any
contraindication regarding neuromodulation and exclude individuals at risk.
Experimenters will carefully monitor and document any side effects appearing
during the session. Furthermore, the measurement of prosocial behavior requires
elements of deception, e.g. a cover story that another person receives painful
stimulation as well as encouragement of participants to weigh their own
monetary gain against the pain of another person. However, we have extensive
experience with the use of such protocols, participants are told that the
stimulation that the other person receives is never harmful in any way, and all
participants will be debriefed at the end of their respective session.
Meibergdreef 17
Amsterdam 1105 AZ
NL
Meibergdreef 17
Amsterdam 1105 AZ
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
healthy participants, age 18-35, proficiency with english, right-handedness
Exclusion criteria
Participants without a high proficiency level in the English language will be
excluded from the study.
For the TMS part they will be asked to fill a standard questionnaire for
neuromodulation studies to exclude any participant with contraindications to
brain stimulation.
EXAMPLE OF SAFETY SCREENING
* Have you ever:
o Had an adverse reaction to TMS?
o Had a seizure?
o Had an EEG?
o Had a stroke?
o Had a head injury (include neurosurgery)?
* Do you have any metal in your head (outside of the mouth,) such as shrapnel,
surgical clips, or fragments from welding or metalwork? (Metal can be moved or
heated by TMS)
* Do you have any implanted devices such as cardiac pacemakers, medical pumps,
or intracardiac lines, cochlear implants, implanted brain stimulators,
implanted defibrillator? (TMS may interfere with electronics and those with
heart conditions are at greater risk in event of seizure)
* Do you suffer from frequent or severe headaches?
* Have you ever had any other brain-related condition?
* Have you ever had any illness that caused brain injury?
* Are you taking any medications? (e.g. Tricyclic anti-depressants,
neuroleptic agents, and other drugs that lower the seizure threshold)
* If you are a woman of childbearing age, are you sexually active, and if so,
are you not using a reliable method of birth control?
* Does anyone in your family have epilepsy?
* Do you need further explanation of TMS and its associated risks?
Participants will complete the Stress Tolerance Short Questionnaire as an
additional screening. If participants score over 50 in this questionnaire, we
will advise them not to continue with the study.
Design
Recruitment
Medical products/devices used
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL75254.018.20 |