The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers.
Risky decision-making involves weighing good and bad outcomes against their probabilities in order to determine the relative values of candidate actions. Although human decision-making sometimes conforms to rational models of how this weighting is achieved, irrational (or nonnormative) patterns of r...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
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| _version_ | 1797069506155118592 |
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| author | Murphy, SE Longhitano, C Ayres, R Cowen, P Harmer, C Rogers, R |
| author_facet | Murphy, SE Longhitano, C Ayres, R Cowen, P Harmer, C Rogers, R |
| author_sort | Murphy, SE |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Risky decision-making involves weighing good and bad outcomes against their probabilities in order to determine the relative values of candidate actions. Although human decision-making sometimes conforms to rational models of how this weighting is achieved, irrational (or nonnormative) patterns of risky choice, including shifts between risk-averse and risk-seeking choices involving equivalent-value gambles (the "reflection effect"), are frequently observed. In the present experiment, we investigated the role of serotonin in decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. Fifteen healthy adult volunteers received a treatment of 3 g per day of the serotonin precursor, tryptophan, in the form of dietary supplements over a 14-day period, whereas 15 age- and IQ-matched control volunteers received a matched placebo substance. At test, all participants completed a risky decision-making task involving a series of choices between two simultaneously presented gambles, differing in the magnitude of their possible gains, the magnitude of their possible losses, and the probabilities with which these outcomes were delivered. Tryptophan supplements were associated with alterations in the weighting of gains and small losses perhaps reflecting reduced loss-aversion, and a marked and significant diminution of the reflection effect. We conclude that serotonin activity plays a significant role in nonnormative risky decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:25:28Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:5687076c-8650-43c2-8e4e-60bd08c8ff04 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:25:28Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:5687076c-8650-43c2-8e4e-60bd08c8ff042022-03-26T16:50:49ZThe role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:5687076c-8650-43c2-8e4e-60bd08c8ff04EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Murphy, SELonghitano, CAyres, RCowen, PHarmer, CRogers, RRisky decision-making involves weighing good and bad outcomes against their probabilities in order to determine the relative values of candidate actions. Although human decision-making sometimes conforms to rational models of how this weighting is achieved, irrational (or nonnormative) patterns of risky choice, including shifts between risk-averse and risk-seeking choices involving equivalent-value gambles (the "reflection effect"), are frequently observed. In the present experiment, we investigated the role of serotonin in decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. Fifteen healthy adult volunteers received a treatment of 3 g per day of the serotonin precursor, tryptophan, in the form of dietary supplements over a 14-day period, whereas 15 age- and IQ-matched control volunteers received a matched placebo substance. At test, all participants completed a risky decision-making task involving a series of choices between two simultaneously presented gambles, differing in the magnitude of their possible gains, the magnitude of their possible losses, and the probabilities with which these outcomes were delivered. Tryptophan supplements were associated with alterations in the weighting of gains and small losses perhaps reflecting reduced loss-aversion, and a marked and significant diminution of the reflection effect. We conclude that serotonin activity plays a significant role in nonnormative risky decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. |
| spellingShingle | Murphy, SE Longhitano, C Ayres, R Cowen, P Harmer, C Rogers, R The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title | The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title_full | The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title_fullStr | The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title_short | The role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice: the effects of tryptophan supplements on the "reflection effect" in healthy adult volunteers. |
| title_sort | role of serotonin in nonnormative risky choice the effects of tryptophan supplements on the reflection effect in healthy adult volunteers |
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