Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.
Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse & Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life, and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
Soc Neurosci. 2023 Dec;18(5):271-281. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2242096. Epub 2023 Aug 18.
In the "Dual-Process theory", morality is characterized by the interaction between an automatic-emotional process, mediated by the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) and linked to personal-deontological decisions, and a rational-conscious one, mediated by the Dorso-Lateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) and linked to impersonal-utilitarian decisions. These areas are altered by chronic use of cocaine, with a possible impact on moral decision-making.
To evaluate the difference between a group of Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) patients and a control group in moral decision-making.
Subjects with CUD were compared to an equal-sized healthy group regarding their moral decision-making. Trolley and Footbridge Moral Dilemmas were administered to each group. The quality of the answer (yes or no) and the time needed to answer were recorded.
The recruited group includes 72 subjects, 36 with CUD and 36 healthy subjects (average age of 39.51 ± 9.89). In the Trolley dilemma, almost all the subjects (97.3%) answered "yes", while in the Footbridge dilemma CUD subjects answered "yes" more often (52.7%) than the healthy group (19.4%).
For strong emotional dilemmas (Footbridge), cocaine users answered "yes" with a higher frequency compared to healthy subjects, highlighting a wider utilitarian tendency in decision-making and a poor emotional participation.
在“双过程理论”中，道德的特点是自动情感过程与前扣带皮层（ACC）的相互作用，并与个人义务决策相关，以及理性意识过程与背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）的相互作用，并与非个人功利决策相关。这些区域会因慢性使用可卡因而发生改变，可能会对道德决策产生影响。
评估一组可卡因使用障碍（CUD）患者与对照组在道德决策方面的差异。
将 CUD 患者与具有相同数量的健康组进行道德决策比较。向每组受试者施用电车和天桥道德困境。记录答案的质量（是或否）和回答所需的时间。
所招募的组包括 72 名受试者，36 名患有 CUD 和 36 名健康受试者（平均年龄为 39.51±9.89）。在电车困境中，几乎所有受试者（97.3%）都回答“是”，而在天桥困境中，CUD 受试者回答“是”的频率（52.7%）高于健康组（19.4%）。
对于强烈的情感困境（天桥），与健康受试者相比，可卡因使用者更频繁地回答“是”，这突出了决策中的功利倾向更大，情感参与度较差。
