Kopsida Eleni, Berrebi Jonathan, Petrovic Predrag, Ingvar Martin
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MR Research Center and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden.
Front Neurosci. 2016 Mar 1;10:66. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00066. eCollection 2016.
A plethora of studies on the Ultimatum Game have shown that responders forfeit the rule of profit maximization and punish unfair proposers, by rejecting their offers. This behavior has been linked to increased amygdala, insula, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation. Studies have suggested a potential role of testosterone in the Ultimatum Game albeit with inconsistent findings. In the present study, we sought to further investigate the role of amygdala and testosterone in the Ultimatum Game, by conducting a double-blinded, single-administration study. Sixty milligram of Tostrex was administered to male and female healthy volunteers, 3 h prior to undergoing an fMRI session, during which they played a standard version of the Ultimatum Game. The behavioral analysis revealed a statistical trend, as participants in the testosterone group tended to accept a greater number of unfair offers than participants in the placebo group, irrespectively of gender. In terms of fMRI results, for the main contrast unfair>fair offers, the testosterone group displayed a greater activation in the right dlPFC compared to the placebo group. Increased testosterone levels were related to greater caudate activity. Our findings suggest a complex role of testosterone in social behavior and decision-making.
大量关于最后通牒博弈的研究表明，响应者会放弃利润最大化原则，通过拒绝提议来惩罚不公平的提议者。这种行为与杏仁核、脑岛和背外侧前额叶皮质的激活增加有关。研究表明，睾酮在最后通牒博弈中可能发挥作用，尽管研究结果并不一致。在本研究中，我们通过进行一项双盲、单次给药研究，进一步探讨杏仁核和睾酮在最后通牒博弈中的作用。在进行功能磁共振成像（fMRI）检查前3小时，给健康的男性和女性志愿者服用60毫克睾酮贴片（Tostrex），在此期间他们进行标准版本的最后通牒博弈。行为分析揭示了一种统计趋势，即无论性别如何，睾酮组的参与者比安慰剂组的参与者倾向于接受更多不公平的提议。就功能磁共振成像结果而言，对于主要对比“不公平提议>公平提议”，与安慰剂组相比，睾酮组在右侧背外侧前额叶皮质表现出更大的激活。睾酮水平升高与尾状核活动增强有关。我们的研究结果表明，睾酮在社会行为和决策中发挥着复杂的作用。
