Neural basis of corruption in power-holders

Corruption often involves bribery, when a briber suborns a power-holder to gain advantages usually at a cost of moral transgression. Despite its wide presence in human societies, the neurocomputational basis of bribery remains elusive. Here, using model-based fMRI, we investigated the neural substra...

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Main Authors: Yang Hu, Chen Hu, Edmund Derrington, Brice Corgnet, Chen Qu, Jean-Claude Dreher
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2021-03-01
Series:eLife
Subjects:
Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/63922
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author Yang Hu
Chen Hu
Edmund Derrington
Brice Corgnet
Chen Qu
Jean-Claude Dreher
author_facet Yang Hu
Chen Hu
Edmund Derrington
Brice Corgnet
Chen Qu
Jean-Claude Dreher
author_sort Yang Hu
collection DOAJ
description Corruption often involves bribery, when a briber suborns a power-holder to gain advantages usually at a cost of moral transgression. Despite its wide presence in human societies, the neurocomputational basis of bribery remains elusive. Here, using model-based fMRI, we investigated the neural substrates of how a power-holder decides to accept or reject a bribe. Power-holders considered two types of moral cost brought by taking bribes: the cost of conniving with a fraudulent briber, encoded in the anterior insula, and the harm brought to a third party, represented in the right temporoparietal junction. These moral costs were integrated into a value signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was selectively engaged to guide anti-corrupt behaviors when a third party would be harmed. Multivariate and connectivity analyses further explored how these neural processes depend on individual differences. These findings advance our understanding of the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying corrupt behaviors.
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spelling doaj.art-7e0bd2455a504a5fa220e39079bdbcf82022-12-22T03:52:40ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2021-03-011010.7554/eLife.63922Neural basis of corruption in power-holdersYang Hu0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7659-5782Chen Hu1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2289-743XEdmund Derrington2Brice Corgnet3Chen Qu4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8465-8007Jean-Claude Dreher5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2157-1529Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China; Laboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, FranceMotivation, Brain & Behavior (MBB) Team, Institut du Cerveau et Moelle Epiniere, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, FranceLaboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, FranceEmLyon, Ecully, FranceKey Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, ChinaLaboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, FranceCorruption often involves bribery, when a briber suborns a power-holder to gain advantages usually at a cost of moral transgression. Despite its wide presence in human societies, the neurocomputational basis of bribery remains elusive. Here, using model-based fMRI, we investigated the neural substrates of how a power-holder decides to accept or reject a bribe. Power-holders considered two types of moral cost brought by taking bribes: the cost of conniving with a fraudulent briber, encoded in the anterior insula, and the harm brought to a third party, represented in the right temporoparietal junction. These moral costs were integrated into a value signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was selectively engaged to guide anti-corrupt behaviors when a third party would be harmed. Multivariate and connectivity analyses further explored how these neural processes depend on individual differences. These findings advance our understanding of the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying corrupt behaviors.https://elifesciences.org/articles/63922corruptionbribe-takingmoral costmodel-based fMRImultivariate analyses
spellingShingle Yang Hu
Chen Hu
Edmund Derrington
Brice Corgnet
Chen Qu
Jean-Claude Dreher
Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
eLife
corruption
bribe-taking
moral cost
model-based fMRI
multivariate analyses
title Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
title_full Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
title_fullStr Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
title_full_unstemmed Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
title_short Neural basis of corruption in power-holders
title_sort neural basis of corruption in power holders
topic corruption
bribe-taking
moral cost
model-based fMRI
multivariate analyses
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/63922
work_keys_str_mv AT yanghu neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders
AT chenhu neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders
AT edmundderrington neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders
AT bricecorgnet neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders
AT chenqu neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders
AT jeanclaudedreher neuralbasisofcorruptioninpowerholders