Abstract
Involvement of the prefrontal cortex in intertemporal choices has been long recognized. Using neurostimulation techniques, recent studies have indicated that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences performance on intertemporal choice tasks. Present pilot study aimed to explore further the DLPFC’s role in intertemporal choices by assessing the influence of individual levels of impulsivity on modulating stimulation’s effects. Thirteen subjects participated in a within-subjects experiment. During three sessions, participants received 20 minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS; either sham, anodal, or cathodal) and were administered Intertemporal Choice Task. Then, they completed Barratt Impulsivity Scale and Dickman Impulsivity Inventory. Using a repeated-measure generalized linear model, we explored effects of stimulation on intertemporal choice (either immediate or delayed reward) on impulsive responses, defined as quick answers. Individual level of impulsivity was included in the model as a covariate. According to results, participants made a greater number of impulsive choices favoring immediate rewards after cathodal stimulation of the left DLPFC. Additionally, moderating role of individual impulsivity emerged. This study provides support for the involvement of the left DLPFC in intertemporal choices. We contend that the role of individual differences should be further explored to obtain a better understanding of intertemporal choice behavior.
Highlights
IntroductionIntertemporal Choices in Neuroscience ResearchIntertemporal choices, that is decisions involving consequences at different points in time (for a review, see Becker, Walker, & McCord, 2017; Berns, Laibson, & Loewenstein, 2007; Frederick, Loewenstein, & O’Donoghue, 2002), have been studied from various perspectives within the fields of economics, psychology, and neuroscience
Intertemporal Choices in Neuroscience ResearchIntertemporal choices, that is decisions involving consequences at different points in time, have been studied from various perspectives within the fields of economics, psychology, and neuroscience
The within-subjects pilot study presented in this paper explored the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in moderating impulsive intertemporal choice by considering a possible moderating effect of individual levels of impulsivity
Summary
Intertemporal Choices in Neuroscience ResearchIntertemporal choices, that is decisions involving consequences at different points in time (for a review, see Becker, Walker, & McCord, 2017; Berns, Laibson, & Loewenstein, 2007; Frederick, Loewenstein, & O’Donoghue, 2002), have been studied from various perspectives within the fields of economics, psychology, and neuroscience. Choosing the second alternative depends on several factors: the length of the delay, the amount of money, and the devaluation rate of the postponed reward This last factor, known as the temporal discounting effect, has become the principal framework used in psychology to explain how people make intertemporal choices (e.g., Benzion, Rapoport, & Yagil, 1989; Bickel, Koffarnus, Moody, & Wilson, 2014; Charlton et al, 2013; Green, Fristoe, & Myerson, 1994; Story, Vlaev, Seymour, Darzi, & Dolan, 2014). Discount rates are sometimes used as a measure of impatience (Marzilli Ericson, White, Laibson, & Cohen, 2015)
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