Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr;12(2):174-181.
doi: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1154105. Epub 2016 Mar 21.

Increasing generosity by disrupting prefrontal cortex

Leonardo Christov-Moore  1 , Taisei Sugiyama  2 , Kristina Grigaityte  3 , Marco Iacoboni  1
Affiliations

Increasing generosity by disrupting prefrontal cortex

Leonardo Christov-Moore et al. Soc Neurosci. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Recent research suggests that prosocial outcomes in sharing games arise from prefrontal control of self-maximizing impulses. We used continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to disrupt the functioning of two prefrontal areas, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). We used cTBS in the right MT/V5, as a control area. We then tested subjects' prosocial inclinations with an unsupervised Dictator Game in which they allocated real money anonymously between themselves and low and high socioeconomic status (SES) players. cTBS over the two prefrontal sites made subjects more generous compared to MT/V5. More specifically, cTBS over DLPFC increased offers to high-SES players, while cTBS over DMPFC caused increased offers to low-SES players. These data, the first to demonstrate an effect of disruptive neuromodulation on costly sharing, suggest that DLPFC and MPFC exert inhibitory control over prosocial inclinations during costly sharing, though they may do so in different ways. DLPFC may implement contextual control, while DMPFC may implement a tonic form of control. This study demonstrates that humans' prepotent inclination is toward prosocial outcomes when cognitive control is reduced, even when prosocial decisions carry no strategic benefit and concerns for reputation are minimized.

Keywords: Empathy; cognitive control; neuroeconomics; prosocial behavior; transcranial magnetic stimulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stimulation sites. Control site: area MT/V5 (x = 48mm, y = −74mm, z = 0mm). Test sites: DLPFC (x = 40mm, y = 24mm, z = 38mm) and DMPFC (x = 8mm, y = 24mm, z = 54mm). ROI’s are displayed on a single subject’s high-resolution T1-weighted image in neurological orientation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Box-and-whisker plots of average offers to high and low income/SES players by stimulation site. Edges of box indicate 1st and 3rd quantiles. Dots and stars indicate significant outliers. Means are indicated by red crosses (+), while medians are indicated by black horizontal lines (−). All outliers were included in the analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Amodio DM, Frith CD. Meeting of minds: The medial frontal cortex and social cognition. Nat Rev Neuro. 2006;7(4):268–77. - PubMed
    1. Avenanti A, Minio-Paluello I, Bufalari I, Aglioti SM. The pain of a model in the personality of an onlooker: Influence of state-reactivity and personality traits on embodied empathy for pain. NeuroImage. 2009;44(1):275–83. - PubMed
    1. Bechara A, Damasio H, Damasio AR, Lee GP. Different contributions of the human amygdala and ventromedial pre-frontal cortex to decision-making. J Neurosci. 1999;19:5473–5481. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Camerer CF. Strategizing in the brain. Science. 2003;300:1673–1675. - PubMed
    1. Camerer C, Thaler RH. Anomalies: Ultimatums, dictators and manners. J Econ Persp. 1995;9(2):209–219.

Publication types