冒险行为受内外因素影响的神经机制

Abstract

"Risk" refers to situations in which an individual is exposed to the danger of possible loss. To minimize such possibility of facing a loss, a series of cognitive affective processes, conscious or unconscious ones, are engaged to help the person evaluate the possibility of having good or bad outcomes should he/she decided to take the risk. To reveal the neural mechanisms underpinning risky decision making, as well as the factors (age, sex, impulsivity, and the use of herbal medicine) that may modulate the decision making process, we have initiated a program of neuroimaging studies on the topic. Results of our neuroim-aging studies indicate that risky decision making is subserved by a number of brain regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex, the inferior frontal cortcx, the dorsal/ventral medial frontal regions, the insula, and the parietal cortex. Our findings also reveal that the different factors studied could associate with distinct patterns of neural activity, hence, suggesting the dynamic interplay of the different factors under the construct of risky decision making. The data generated from our program of research help advance the theoretical understanding of the construct of risky decision making. They also help lay the path for future research to unravel strategies for promoting advantageous risk-taking behaviour.