The European journal of neuroscience | 2021
Neural Signatures of Heterogeneity in Risk-Taking and Strategic Consistency.
Abstract
People display a high degree of heterogeneity in risk-taking behavior, but this heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Here, we use a neural trait approach to examine if task-independent, brain-based differences can help uncover the sources of heterogeneity in risky decision-making. We extend prior research in two key ways. First, we disentangled risk-taking and strategic consistency using novel measures afforded by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Second, we applied a personality neuroscience framework to explore why personality traits are typically only weakly related to risk-taking behavior. We regressed participants (N = 104) source localized resting-state electroencephalographic activity on risk-taking and strategic consistency. Results revealed that higher levels of resting-state delta-band current density (reflecting reduced cortical activation) in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were associated with increased risk-taking and decreased strategic consistency, respectively. These results suggest that heterogeneity in risk-taking behavior is associated with neural dispositions related to sensitivity to the risk of loss, while heterogeneity in strategic consistency is associated with neural dispositions related to strategic decision-making. Finally, extraversion, neuroticism, openness and self-control were broadly associated with both of the identified neural traits, which in turn mediated indirect associations between personality traits and behavioral measures. These results provide an explanation for the weak direct relationships between personality traits and risk-taking behavior, supporting a personality neuroscience framework of traits and decision-making.