Role of the prefrontal cortex in prosocial and self-maximization motivations: an rTMS study

Oksana Zinchenko,Vasily Klucharev,Olga Savelo

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01588-6

Oksana Zinchenko, Vasily Klucharev + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01588-6

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Abstract

More than a decade of neuroimaging and brain stimulation studies point to a crucial role for the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) in prosocial behavior. The intuitive prosociality model postulates that the rDLPFC controls intuitive prosocial behavior, whereas the reflective model assumes that the rDLPFC controls selfish impulses during prosocial behavior. The intuitive prosociality model implies that the transient disruption of the rDLPFC should increase voluntary transfers in both dictator and generosity games. In contrast, the reflective model suggests that the transient disruption of the rDLPFC should decrease transfers in the dictator game, without affecting voluntary transfers in the generosity game, in which selfish motives are minimized. The aim of this paper was to compare predictions of the intuitive and reflective models using the classic dictator game and generosity game and continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). In this study, two groups of healthy participants (dictators) received either cTBS over the rDLPFC or right extrastriate visual areas. As shown by the results, the transient disruption of the rDLPFC significantly promoted prosocial motives in the dictator game only, particularly in the trials with the lowest dictator’s costs. These findings partially support the notion that the rDLPFC controls intuitive prosocial behavior.

Highlights

More than a decade of neuroimaging and brain stimulation studies point to a crucial role for the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in prosocial behavior
We compared the effect of offers made during the dictator and generosity games on continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) and the right extrastriate visual areas among two groups of participants
We observed a significant effect of cTBS of the rDLPFC on the behavior of player 1 in the dictator game, which is partially consistent with Hypothesis I

Summary

Introduction

More than a decade of neuroimaging and brain stimulation studies point to a crucial role for the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) in prosocial behavior. The reflective model suggests that the transient disruption of the rDLPFC should decrease transfers in the dictator game, without affecting voluntary transfers in the generosity game, in which selfish motives are minimized. As shown by the results, the transient disruption of the rDLPFC significantly promoted prosocial motives in the dictator game only, in the trials with the lowest dictator’s costs These findings partially support the notion that the rDLPFC controls intuitive prosocial behavior. Many behavioral and neuroimaging studies have suggested that prosocial norms play an essential role in economic decision-making[2,3] Much of this evidence comes from studies using behavioral economics games, such as the dictator game[4], in which player 1 (the dictator) can offer any fraction of an endowment to player 2 (receiver), keeping the rest for him- or herself. We investigated whether the rDLPFC is involved in self-maximization (according to the intuitive prosociality model) or in the implementation of prosocial norms (according to the reflective model)

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