Uncertainty Modulates the Effect of Transcranial Stimulation Over the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex on Decision-Making Under Threat

Abstract

Threat is a strategy that can be used to impact decision-making processes in bargaining. Abundant evidence suggests that credible threat and incredible threat both influence the obeisance of others. However, it is not clear whether the decision-making processes under credible threat and incredible threat during bargaining involve differential neurocognitive mechanisms. Here, we employed cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to deactivate the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) to address this question while subjects allocated and reported the subjective probability of future rejection under incredible threat and credible threat. We found that application of cathodal tDCS over the rDLPFC decreased the proposer’s subjective inference of probability of rejection and the offer to the responder under incredible threat. Conversely, the same stimulation did not lead to a significant difference compared to the sham group in subjective probability and offer under credible threat. These results suggested that decision-making processes under the two types of threat during bargaining were associated with different neurocognitive substrates, because the punishment for non-compliance was uncertain under incredible threat, whereas it was certain under credible threat. We decreased activity in the rDLPFC, which is involved in decision-making processes related to bargaining under incredible threats, and observed significantly impacted behavior. The differential neurocognitive bases of subjective probability of rejection under incredible threat and credible threat resulted in different tDCS effects.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates the Effect of Unreasonable Request in the Context of Peer Punishment

“…The response to threat has been shown to recruit the rDLPFC (Paquette et al, 2003; Schienle et al, 2005). Further, cathodal stimulation applied to the rDLPFC has been shown to reduce vigilance to threat (Ironside et al, 2016, 2017; Pan et al, 2019). These results suggest that with the possibility of peer punishment, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the response to unreasonable request is similar to that of the response to threat.…”

“…This outcome suggests that the cathodal tDCS over the rDLPFC decreased amygdala activation and attention to the threatening information as judged by a dot-probe detection task. Further, a recent tDCS study provided direct evidence for a casual role for the rDLPFC (Pan et al, 2019).…”

Modulating Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex Changes Intertemporal Choice for Loss: A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study

“…fMRI and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) studies have demonstrated that DLPFC and the amygdala (the emotion-related encephalic region) are involved in brain function connectivity (Bishop, 2009; Ironside et al, 2016). Pan et al (2019) proposed that decreased activation of the rDLPFC specifically decreased subjective probability of rejections under incredible threat. Therefore, by exploring the causal relationship between brain area and intertemporal choice with loss, we believe that DLPFC would be an appropriate choice.…”