Distinct neural mechanisms of risk and ambiguity: A meta-analysis of decision-making
Abstract
Converging evidence from human and animal studies suggests that decision-making relies upon a distributed neural network based in the frontal lobes. In particular, models of decision-making emphasize the involvement of orbitofrontal cortices (OFC) and the medial wall. While decision-making has been studied broadly as a class of executive function, recent models have suggested the differentiation between risky and ambiguous decision-making. Given recent emphasis on the role of OFC in affectively laden "hot" executive function and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in more purely cognitive "cool" executive function, we hypothesize that the neural substrates of decision-making may differ depending on the nature of the decision required. To test this hypothesis, we used recently developed meta-analytic techniques to examine the existent functional neuroimaging literature. An initial meta-analysis of decision-making, both risky and ambiguous, found significantly elevated probabilities of activation in frontal and parietal regions, thalamus, and caudate. Ambiguous decision-making was associated with activity in DLPFC, regions of dorsal and subcallosal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and parietal cortex. Risky decision-making was associated with activity in OFC, rostral portions of the ACC, and parietal cortex. Direct statistical comparisons revealed significant differences between risky and ambiguous decision-making in frontal regions, including OFC, DLPFC, and ACC, that were…
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Some regions reported in this review also appear in meta-analyses of other task domains, so they are not specific to emotion and also help constitute other cognitive and perceptual events.
“means that these regions are not specific to emotion per se, and are also involved in constituting other cognitive and perceptual events”
From The brain basis of emotion: a meta-analytic review (2012) · cites this paper as Krain et al. 2006
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- Authors
- Krain, A. L., Wilson, A. M., Arbuckle, R., Castellanos, F. X., & Milham, M. P.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Krain, Amy L.
- Milham, Michael P.
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 477-484
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2062485818
- Cited by
- 522
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 1.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Fordham Research Commons (Fordham University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH074821)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- risky decision making, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, executive function, frontal lobe, parietal cortex, caudate nucleus, thalamus
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Decision Making, Humans, Models, Psychological, Nerve Net, Risk-Taking
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