Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Emotion-based decision-making in healthy subjects: short-term effects of reducing dopamine levels

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Converging evidences from animal and human studies suggest that addiction is associated with dopaminergic dysfunction in brain reward circuits. So far, it is unclear what aspects of addictive behaviors are related to a dopaminergic dysfunction.

Discussion

We hypothesize that a decrease in dopaminergic activity impairs emotion-based decision-making. To demonstrate this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of a decrease in dopaminergic activity on the performance of an emotion-based decision-making task, the Iowa gambling task (IGT), in 11 healthy human subjects.

Materials and methods

We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design to examine the effect of a mixture containing the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) valine, isoleucine and leucine on prolactin, IGT performance, perceptual competency and visual aspects of visuospatial working memory, visual attention and working memory, and verbal memory. The expectancy-valence model was used to determine the relative contributions of distinct IGT components (attention to past outcomes, relative weight of wins and losses, and choice strategies) in the decision-making process.

Observations and results

Compared to placebo, the BCAA mixture increased prolactin levels and impaired IGT performance. BCAA administration interfered with a particular component process of decision-making related to attention to more recent events as compared to more distant events. There were no differences between placebo and BCAA conditions for other aspects of cognition. Our results suggest a direct link between a reduced dopaminergic activity and poor emotion-based decision-making characterized by shortsightedness, and thus difficulties resisting short-term reward, despite long-term negative consequences. These findings have implications for behavioral and pharmacological interventions targeting impaired emotion-based decision-making in addictive disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andreasen NC (1989) Scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS). Br J Psychiatry 155(Suppl 7):53–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A (2005) Decision-making, impulse control, and loss of willpower to resist drugs: a neurocognitive perspective. Nat Neurosci 8:1458–1463

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A, Damasio AR, Damasio H, Anderson SW (1994) Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition 50:7–15

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A, Damasio H, Tranel D, Damasio AR (1997) Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy. Science 275:1293–1295

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A, Dolan S, Denburg N, Hindes A, Anderson SW, Nathan PE (2001) Decision-making deficits, linked to a dysfunctional ventromedial prefrontal cortex, revealed in alcohol and stimulant abusers. Neuropsychologia 39:376–389

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Jonathan N, Hnasko R (2001) Dopamine as a prolactin (PRL) inhibitor. Endocr Rev 22:724–763

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berry HK, Brunner RL, Hunt MM, White PP (1990) Valine, isoleucine, and leucine. A new treatment for phenylketonuria. Am J Dis Child 144:539–543

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bolla KI, Eldreth DA, London ED, Kiehl KA, Mouratidis M, Contoreggi C, Matochik JA, Kurian V, Cadet JL, Kimes AS, Funderburk FR, Ernst M (2003) Orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction in abstinent cocaine abusers performing a decision-making task. Neuroimage 19:1085–1094

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bolla KI, Eldreth DA, Matochik JA, Cadet JL (2005) Neural substrates of faulty decision-making in abstinent marijuana users. .Neuroimage 26:480–492

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brandt J, Benedict RHB (1991) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised™ (HVLT-R™). Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc., Lutz, Florida

  • Busemeyer JR, Stout JC (2002) A contribution of cognitive decision models to clinical assessment. Decomposing performance on the Bechara gambling task. Psychol Assess 14:253–262

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cardinal RN, Robbins TW, Everitt BJ (2000) The effects of d-amphetamine, chlordiazepoxide, alpha-flupenthixol and behavioural manipulations on choice of signalled and unsignalled delayed reinforcement in rats. Psychopharmacology 152:362–375

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cools R, Barker RA, Sahkian BJ, Robbins TW (2001) Enhanced or impaired cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease as a function of dopaminergic medication and task demands. Cereb Cortex 11:1136–1143

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cools R, Barker RA, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW (2003) L-Dopa medication remediates cognitive inflexibility, but increases impulsivity in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Neuropsychologia 41:1431–1441

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornblatt BA, Risch NJ, Faris G, Friedman D, Erlenmeyer-Kimling L (1988) The continuous performance test, identical pairs version (CPT-IP): I. New findings about sustained attention in normal families. Psychiatry Res 26:223–238

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Czernecki V, Pillon B, Houeto JL, Pochon JB, Levy R, Dubois B (2002) Motivation, reward, and Parkinson’s disease: influence of dopatherapy. Neuropsychologia 40:2257–2267

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Wit H, Enggasser JL, Richards JB (2002) Acute administration of d-amphetamine decreases impulsivity in healthy volunteers. Neuropsychopharmacology 27:813–825

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • First MB, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JBW (2001) Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV-TR axis I disorders—non-patient edition. New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gijsman HJ, Scarnà A, Harmer CJ, McTavish SFB, Odontiadis J, Cowen PJ, Goodwin GM (2002) A dose-finding study on the effects of branch chain amino acids on surrogate markers of brain dopamine function. Psychopharmacology 160:192–197

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman-Rakic PS, Selemon LD (1997) Functional and anatomical aspects of prefrontal pathology in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 23:437–458

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant S, Contoreggi C, London ED (2000) Drug abusers show impaired performance in a laboratory test of decision making. Neuropsychologia 38:1180–1187

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton MA (1960) A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 23:56–62

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harmer CJ, McTavish SFB, Clark L, Goodwin GM, Cowen PJ (2001) Tyrosine depletion attenuates dopamine function in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 154:105–111

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harper A, Miller R, Block K (1984) Branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Annu Rev Nutr 4:409–454

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalivas PW, Volkow ND (2005) The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice. Am J Psychiatry 162:1403–1413

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Merikangas KR, Walters EE (2005) Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62:617–627

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lencz T, Bilder RM, Turkel E, Goldman RS, Robinson D, Kane JM, Lieberman JA (2003) Impairments in perceptual competency and maintenance on a visual delayed match-to-sample test in first-episode schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:238–243

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter DG, Corbett AJ, Fitzgibbon GM, Davidson OR, Hope JK, Goddard GV, Sharples KJ, Pollock M (1988) Cognitive and motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. Clinical, performance, and computed tomographic correlations. Arch Neurol 45:854–860

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marchesini G, Bianchi GP, Vilstrup H, Checchia GA, Patrono D, Zoli M (1987) Plasma clearances of branched-chain amino acids in control subjects and in patients with cirrhosis. J Hepatol 4:108–117

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazas CA, Finn PR, Steinmetz JE (2000) Decision-making biases, antisocial personality, and early-onset alcoholism. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 24:1036–1040

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mintzer MZ, Stitzer ML (2002) Cognitive impairment in methadone maintenance patients. Drug Alcohol Depend 67:41–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nieoullon A (2002) Dopamine and the regulation of cognition and attention. Prog Neurobiol 67:53–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien CP (2005) Anticraving medications for relapse prevention: a possible new class of psychoactive medications. Am J Psychiatry 162:1423–1431

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Overall JE, Gorham DR (1988) The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS): recent developments in ascertainment and scaling. Psychopharmacol Bull 24:97–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Petry NM, Bickel WK, Arnett M (1998) Shortened time horizons and insensitivity to future consequences in heroin addicts. Addiction 93:729–738

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richards JB, Sabol KE, de Wit H (1999) Effects of methamphetamine on the adjusting amount procedure, a model of impulsive behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology 146:432–439

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson MA, Bevans ML, Weber JB, Gonzalez JJ, Flynn CJ, Amira L, Read LL, Suckow RF, Maher TJ (1999) Branched chain amino acids decrease tardive dyskinesia symptoms. Psychopharmacology 143:358–364

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins TW (2005) Chemistry of the mind: neurochemical modulation of prefrontal cortical function. J Comp Neurol 493:140–146

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers RD, Lancaster M, Wakeley J, Bhagwagar Z (2004) Effects of beta-adrenoceptor blockade on components of human decision making. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 172:157–164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scarnà A, McTavish SFB, Cowen PJ, Goodwin GM, Rogers RD (2005) The effects of a branched chain amino acid mixture supplemented with tryptophan on biochemical indices of neurotransmitter function and decision-making. Psychopharmacology 179:761–768

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson GM, Angus JW (1970) A rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects. Acta Psychiatr Scand 212(Suppl 44):11–19

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stahl SM, Pradko JF, Haight BR, Modell JG, Rockett CB, Learned-Coughlin S (2004) A review of the neuropharmacology of bupropion, a dual norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry 6:159–166

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taghzouti K, Louilot A, Herman JP, Le Moal M, Simon H (1985) Alternation behavior, spatial discrimination, and reversal disturbances following 6-hydroxydopamine lesions in the nucleus accumbens of the rat. Behav Neural Biol 44:354–363

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ, Swanson JM (2004) Dopamine in drug abuse and addiction: results from imaging studies and treatment implications. Mol Psychiatry 9:557–569

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wade TR, de Wit, Richards JB (2000) Effects of dopaminergic drugs on delayed reward as a measure of impulsive behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology 150:90–101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whitlow CT, Liguori A, Livengood LB, Hart SL, Mussat-Whitlow BJ, Lamborn CM, Laurienti PJ, Porrino LJ (2004) Long-term heavy marijuana users make costly decisions on a gambling task. Drug Alcohol Depend 76:107–111

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson G (1993) Wide range achievement test (WRAT 3). Jastak Assessment Systems, USA

  • Woerner MG, Mannuzza S, Kane JM (1988) Anchoring the BPRS: an aid to improved reliability. Psychopharmacol Bull 24:112–117

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yechiam E, Busemeyer JR, Stout JC, Bechara A (2005) Using cognitive models to map relations between neuropsychological disorders and human decision-making deficits. Psychol Sci 16:973–978

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by grants NIDA K23 DA015541 (SS) and NIMH K23 MH001760 (AKM), and grants from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and the Stanley Medical Research Institute (AKM). We thank Drs. Terry Goldberg and Nina Schooler for their helpful comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatry Research Department, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA

    Youssef Hassoun, Barbara Napolitano, Katherine Burdick, Howard Delman & Anil Malhotra

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Serge Sevy, Katherine Burdick & Anil Malhotra

  3. Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Antoine Bechara

  4. Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Eldad Yechiam

  5. Biostatistics Unit, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Barbara Napolitano

  6. Center for Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Anil Malhotra

  7. Psychiatry Research Department, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA

    Serge Sevy

Authors
  1. Serge Sevy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Youssef Hassoun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Antoine Bechara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eldad Yechiam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Barbara Napolitano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Katherine Burdick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Howard Delman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Anil Malhotra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Serge Sevy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sevy, S., Hassoun, Y., Bechara, A. et al. Emotion-based decision-making in healthy subjects: short-term effects of reducing dopamine levels. Psychopharmacology 188, 228–235 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0450-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0450-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation