Cue‐induced effects on decision‐making distinguish subjects with gambling disorder from healthy controls

BACKGROUND Chronic pain is a significant world-wide health problem. It has been reported that people with chronic pain experience decision-making impairments, but these findings have been based on conventional lab experiments to date. In such experiments researchers have extensive control of conditions and can more precisely eliminate potential confounds. In contrast, there is much less known regarding how chronic pain impacts decision-making captured via lab-in-the-field experiments. Although such settings can introduce more experimental uncertainty, it is believed that collecting data in more ecologically valid contexts can better characterize the real-world impact of chronic pain. OBJECTIVE We aim to quantify decision-making differences between chronic pain individuals and healthy controls in a lab-in-the-field environment through taking advantage of internet technologies and social media. METHODS A cross-sectional design with independent groups was employed. A convenience sample of 45 participants were recruited through social media - 20 participants who self-reported living with chronic pain, and 25 people with no pain or who were living with pain for less than 6 months acting as controls. All participants completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their pain experiences and a neuropsychological task measuring their decision-making, i.e. the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in their web browser at a time and location of their choice without supervision. RESULTS Standard behavioral analysis revealed no differences in learning strategies between the two groups although qualitative differences could be observed in learning curves. However, computational modelling revealed that individuals with chronic pain were quicker to update their behavior relative to healthy controls, which reflected their increased learning rate (95% HDI from 0.66 to 0.99) when fitted with the VPP model. This result was further validated and extended on the ORL model because higher differences (95% HDI from 0.16 to 0.47) between the reward and punishment learning rates were observed when fitted on this model, indicating that chronic pain individuals were more sensitive to rewards. It was also found that they were less persistent in their choices during the IGT compared to controls, a fact reflected by their decreased outcome perseverance (95% HDI from -4.38 to -0.21) when fitted using the ORL model. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that the estimated parameters had predictive value for the self-reported pain experiences, suggesting that the altered cognitive parameters could be potential candidates for inclusion in chronic pain assessments. CONCLUSIONS We found that individuals with chronic pain were more driven by rewards and less consistent when making decisions in our lab-in-the-field experiment. In this case study, it was demonstrated that compared to standard statistical summaries of behavioral performance, computational approaches offered superior ability to resolve, understand and explain the differences in decision- making behavior in the context of chronic pain outside the lab.

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Decision making under ambiguity and risk in adolescent-onset schizophrenia

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03230-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dandan Li ◽

Fengyan Zhang ◽

Lu Wang ◽

Yifan Zhang ◽

Tingting Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Executive Function ◽

Iowa Gambling Task ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Syndrome Scale ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Abnormal Pattern ◽

Negative Syndrome ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objective Numerous studies have identified impaired decision making (DM) under both ambiguity and risk in adult patients with schizophrenia. However, the assessment of DM in patients with adolescent-onset schizophrenia (AOS) has been challenging as a result of the instability and heterogeneity of manifestations. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Game of Dice Task (GDT), which are frequently used to evaluate DM respectively under ambiguity and risk, are sensitive to adolescents and neuropsychiatric patients. Our research intended to examine the performance of DM in a relatively large sample of patients with AOS using the above-mentioned two tasks. We also aimed to take a closer look at the relationship between DM and symptom severity of schizophrenia. Methods We compared the performance of DM in 71 patients with AOS and 53 well-matched healthy controls using IGT for DM under ambiguity and GDT for DM under risk through net scores, total scores and feedback ration. Neuropsychological tests were conducted in all participants. Clinical symptoms were evaluated by using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in 71 patients with AOS. Pearson’s correlation revealed the relationship among total score of DM and clinical and neuropsychological data. Results Compared to healthy controls, patients with AOS failed to show learning effect and had a significant difference on the 5th block in IGT and conducted more disadvantageous choices as well as exhibited worse negative feedback rate in GDT. Apart from DM impairment under risk, diminished DM abilities under ambiguity were found related to poor executive function in AOS in the present study. Conclusions Our findings unveiled the abnormal pattern of DM in AOS, mainly reflected under the risky condition, extending the knowledge on the performance of DM under ambiguity and risk in AOS. Inefficient DM under risk may account for the lagging impulse control and the combined effects of developmental disease. In addition, our study demonstrated that the performance on IGT was related to executive function in AOS.

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Attenuated directed exploration during reinforcement learning in gambling disorder

10.1101/823583 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

A. Wiehler ◽

K. Chakroun ◽

J. Peters

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Reinforcement Learning ◽

Gambling Disorder ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Classical Problem ◽

Behavioral Flexibility ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Prediction Errors ◽

Reward Contingencies

AbstractGambling disorder is a behavioral addiction associated with impairments in decision-making and reduced behavioral flexibility. Decision-making in volatile environments requires a flexible trade-off between exploitation of options with high expected values and exploration of novel options to adapt to changing reward contingencies. This classical problem is known as the exploration-exploitation dilemma. We hypothesized gambling disorder to be associated with a specific reduction in directed (uncertainty-based) exploration compared to healthy controls, accompanied by changes in brain activity in a fronto-parietal exploration-related network.Twenty-three frequent gamblers and nineteen matched controls performed a classical four-armed bandit task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Computational modeling revealed that choice behavior in both groups contained signatures of directed exploration, random exploration and perseveration. Gamblers showed a specific reduction in directed exploration, while random exploration and perseveration were similar between groups.Neuroimaging revealed no evidence for group differences in neural representations of expected value and reward prediction errors. Likewise, our hypothesis of attenuated fronto-parietal exploration effects in gambling disorder was not supported. However, during directed exploration, gamblers showed reduced parietal and substantia nigra / ventral tegmental area activity. Cross-validated classification analyses revealed that connectivity in an exploration-related network was predictive of clinical status, suggesting alterations in network dynamics in gambling disorder.In sum, we show that reduced flexibility during reinforcement learning in volatile environments in gamblers is attributable to a reduction in directed exploration rather than an increase in perseveration. Neuroimaging findings suggest that patterns of network connectivity might be more diagnostic of gambling disorder than univariate value and prediction error effects. We provide a computational account of flexibility impairments in gamblers during reinforcement learning that might arise as a consequence of dopaminergic dysregulation in this disorder.

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The decision-making levels of urine tetrasaccharide for the diagnosis of Pompe disease in the Turkish population

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1515/jpem-2019-0393 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 391-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Erhan Canbay ◽

Melisa Vural ◽

Sema Kalkan Uçar ◽

Ebru Demirel Sezer ◽

Hatice Karasoy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Pompe Disease ◽

High Performance ◽

Late Onset ◽

Turkish Population ◽

Reference Intervals ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Age Group ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

First Year Of Life

AbstractBackgroundRecently, urinary excretion of the tetrasaccharide 6-α-D-glucopyranosyl-maltotriose (Glc4) has been proposed as a marker for the diagnosis and monitoring of Pompe disease (PD). We aimed to determine the reference intervals and reliable decision-making levels of urine tetrasaccharide concentrations for the diagnosis of infantile- and late-onset Pompe patients in the Turkish population.MethodsIn this study, nine patients with PD (five of them with late-onset PD [LOPD]) and 226 healthy individuals (aged 0–64 years) were included. Urine Glc4 concentrations were determined using the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method.ResultsOur data showed that the urine tetrasaccharide levels decreased with age in healthy individuals (p < 0.001, r = −0.256). It was higher especially during the first year of life compared to that in the elder subjects. The tetrasaccharide level of Pompe patients was higher compared to that of healthy controls of the same age: 99 ± 68 mmol/mol creatinine for infantile onset vs. 4.0 ± 3.0 mmol/mol creatinine for healthy controls of the same age group and 12.1 ± 17.4 mmol/mol creatinine for late onset vs. 1.7±1.2 mmol/mol creatinine for healthy controls of the same age group.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that the reference intervals of tetrasaccharide in urine changed over time; therefore, it is critically important to define age-based decision levels for the diagnosis of LOPD.

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Contribution of executive functions to eating behaviours in obesity and eating disorders

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465820000260 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 725-733 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mara Segura-Serralta ◽

Sonia Ciscar ◽

Lorena Blasco ◽

Javier Oltra-Cucarella ◽

María Roncero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Iowa Gambling Task ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Central Coherence ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Eating Behaviours

AbstractBackground:Patients with eating disorders (ED) or obesity show difficulties in tasks assessing decision-making, set-shifting abilities and central coherence.Aims:The aim of this study was to explore executive functions in eating and weight-related problems, ranging from restricting types of ED to obesity.Method:Two hundred and eighty-eight female participants (75 with obesity; 149 with ED: 76 with restrictive eating, 73 with bingeing-purging symptoms; and 64 healthy controls) were administered the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Iowa Gambling Task, and the Group Embedded Figures Test to assess set-shifting, decision-making and central coherence, respectively.Results:Participants with either obesity or ED performed poorly on tests measuring executive functioning compared with healthy controls, even after controlling for age and intelligence. Both participants with obesity and participants with ED showed a preference for global information processing.Conclusions:The findings suggest that treatments for obesity and ED would benefit from addressing difficulties in cognitive functioning, in addition to the more evident clinical symptoms related to eating, body weight and shape.

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Reduced autonomic responsiveness to gambling task losses in Huntington's disease

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617704102105 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 239-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

MEGHAN C. CAMPBELL ◽

JULIE C. STOUT ◽

PETER R. FINN

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Huntington's Disease ◽

Huntington’S Disease ◽

Decision Task ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Gambling Task ◽

Risky Decision ◽

Skin Conductance Responses ◽

Decision Making Processes

We examined the possible role of autonomic activity in Huntington's disease (HD) during a risky decision making task. Skin conductance responses (SCRs) of 15 HD participants and 16 healthy controls were measured while they performed a computerized version of the Simulated Gambling Task (SGT). The results replicated our previous finding of a performance decrement in HD, and showed that HD was associated with an altered pattern of SCRs during the risky decision task. Specifically, the healthy controls produced increased SCRs following selections from the disadvantageous decks and following losing selections. In contrast, the SCRs of the HD group did not differentiate between wins and losses. These findings indicate a reduced impact of loss on decision-making processes under risky conditions in HD. (JINS, 2004, 10, 239–245.)

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Decision making under uncertainty and mood induction: further evidence for liberal acceptance in schizophrenia

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291709005923 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (11) ◽

pp. 1821-1829 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

S. Moritz ◽

R. Veckenstedt ◽

S. Randjbar ◽

B. Hottenrott ◽

T. S. Woodward ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Mood Induction ◽

Cognitive Biases ◽

Random Order ◽

Vital Role ◽

Decision Making Under Uncertainty ◽

Decision Threshold ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Second Best

BackgroundCognitive biases, especially jumping to conclusions (JTC), are ascribed a vital role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This study set out to explore motivational factors for JTC using a newly developed paradigm.MethodTwenty-seven schizophrenia patients and 32 healthy controls were shown 15 classical paintings, divided into three blocks. Four alternative titles (one correct and three lure titles) had to be appraised according to plausibility (0–10). Optionally, participants could decide for one option and reject one or more alternatives. In random order across blocks, anxiety-evoking music, happy music or no music was played in the background.ResultsPatients with schizophrenia, particularly those with delusions, made more decisions than healthy subjects. In line with the liberal acceptance (LA) account of schizophrenia, the decision threshold was significantly lowered in patients relative to controls. Patients were also more prone than healthy controls to making a decision when the distance between the first and second best alternative was close. Furthermore, implausible alternatives were judged as significantly more plausible by patients. Anxiety-evoking music resulted in more decisions in currently deluded patients relative to non-deluded patients and healthy controls.ConclusionsThe results confirm predictions derived from the LA account and assert that schizophrenia patients decide hastily under conditions of continued uncertainty. The fact that mood induction did not exert an overall effect could be due to the explicit nature of the manipulation, which might have evoked strategies to counteract their influence.

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