Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) chronic users show risky decision-making deficits. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits remain unclear. A case-control study was conducted to understand how MA users and healthy controls differ in electrophysiological responses associated with series decision-making. Electroencephalography of 31 MA users and 27 healthy controls was recorded when they performed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task involving risky decision-making with uncertain gain or loss. Feedback-related negativity (FRN) was measured and their association with their risky decision-making and impulsivity were examined. Compared to healthy controls, MA users showed smaller peak FRN amplitudes in fronto-central electrodes (F (1, 56) =4.559, p=0.037), and the attenuated peak FRN amplitudes correlated with more risk-taking behavior (r=0.48, p=0.012). Besides, MA users exhibited later FRN (F (1, 56) = 7.561, p=0.008) and earlier P300 (F (1, 56) = 3.582, p = 0.041) compared to healthy controls in fronto-central electrodes, which were correlated with higher score of impulsivity. These findings provided further evidence that MA users showed insensitivity to negative feedback in risky decision-making. FRN might be a promising biomarker of dependence.
Highlights
Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most used substances, which has caused severe physical or psychological negative consequences to its chronic users [1, 2]
Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings during the performing risky decision-making task provided an opportunity to know better about the underpinning of chronic MA users ‘decisionmaking deficits
The scores of balloon analogue risk task (BART) and impulsiveness between two groups were analyzed by t-tests, there was a trend in the difference of the Number of burst balloons (t=1.92, p=0.052) and a significant
Summary
Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most used substances, which has caused severe physical or psychological negative consequences to its chronic users [1, 2]. Previous studies proved that the poor risky decision-making ability of MA users could aggravate the appearance of negative consequences, such as the higher risk of relapse, lower adherence [3, 6, 9]. Better understanding the risky decisionmaking deficits in chronic MA users might find effective treatment approaches or relapse predictors. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings during the performing risky decision-making task provided an opportunity to know better about the underpinning of chronic MA users ‘decisionmaking deficits. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) is an electrical brain signal that usually peaks
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