Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study

Background: Individuals' risk preferences have been shown to influence their decision-making in various contexts. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between risk preference and decision-making in a social setting remain unclear. This study utilized functional near-infrar...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qianlan Yin, Jing Wen, Shuo Chen, Tianya Hou, Ying Liu, Danni Yang, Guorui Liu, Peiqi Shi, Wei Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:NeuroImage
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001697
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850217920072777728
author Qianlan Yin
Jing Wen
Shuo Chen
Tianya Hou
Ying Liu
Danni Yang
Guorui Liu
Peiqi Shi
Wei Dong
author_facet Qianlan Yin
Jing Wen
Shuo Chen
Tianya Hou
Ying Liu
Danni Yang
Guorui Liu
Peiqi Shi
Wei Dong
author_sort Qianlan Yin
collection DOAJ
description Background: Individuals' risk preferences have been shown to influence their decision-making in various contexts. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between risk preference and decision-making in a social setting remain unclear. This study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the neural correlates of dyadic decision-making under risk and the modulating effect of individual risk preference. Method: This study examined the impact of risk preference on group decision-making using a two-phase experimental design. Based on G-power software calculations, 168 right-handed participants (62 males, 106 females, mean age 21.26±1.70) were recruited. Participants first completed a single-player Sequential Risk Task to measure risk preference, followed by group classification into three groups: Risky&Risky, Risky&Safe, and Safe&Safe. Task performance and decision-making behavior were recorded. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure cortical activation in the prefrontal cortex, focusing on inter-brain synchrony and coupling directionality using wavelet coherence and Granger causality(GC) analyses. Data were preprocessed to remove noise, and statistical analyses included repeated measures ANOVAs, Support Vector Regression and multiple regression analyses. Results: The study investigated dyadic risky decision-making among different paired groups, and the ''Risky&Risky'' group showed the highest risk-seeking behavior, with a significant main effect (F(2,81) = 7.438, P = 0.001). Inter-brain synchrony showed significance during outcome periods characterized by positive feedback, notably being higher within the ''Risky&Risky'' group. Granger causality analysis unveiled unique brain connectivity patterns, indicating that the GC values of ''Risky&Safe'' pairs increased during the diversion condition and decreased during the cooperation condition in comparison to other pairs, albeit without reaching statistical significance. Regression analysis indicated that OFC-mdlPFC GC values and personality traits were significant predictors of risk-taking, with the moderation of these effects by group membership (R² adjusted = 0.173 and 0.191). Conclusion: This study employed fNIRS hyperscanning to investigate how individual differences in risk preference impact decision-making in dyadic contexts. The results indicated that variations in connectivity and information transfer between the orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortices underlie the distinct risk-taking behaviors exhibited by dyadic pairs. These findings underscore the pivotal role of affective and cognitive control mechanisms and individual risk personality traits in cooperative decision-making under conditions of uncertainty.
format Article
id doaj-art-98ee8e7eca82467dba184a2522ad1c81
institution OA Journals
issn 1095-9572
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series NeuroImage
spelling doaj-art-98ee8e7eca82467dba184a2522ad1c812025-08-20T02:07:57ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-04-0131012116710.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121167Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS studyQianlan Yin0Jing Wen1Shuo Chen2Tianya Hou3Ying Liu4Danni Yang5Guorui Liu6Peiqi Shi7Wei Dong8Department of Psychiatry, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China; Department of Medical Psychology, The 905th Hospital of the PLA Navy, Shanghai 200050, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR ChinaDepartment of Medical Psychology, The 905th Hospital of the PLA Navy, Shanghai 200050, PR ChinaDepartment of Medical Psychology, The 905th Hospital of the PLA Navy, Shanghai 200050, PR ChinaDepartment of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Shanghai 200433, PR China; Corresponding author at: Department of Naval Aviation & Operational Psychology, Navy Medical University, Xiangying Road of Yangpu district, Shanghai, PR China, 200433.Background: Individuals' risk preferences have been shown to influence their decision-making in various contexts. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between risk preference and decision-making in a social setting remain unclear. This study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the neural correlates of dyadic decision-making under risk and the modulating effect of individual risk preference. Method: This study examined the impact of risk preference on group decision-making using a two-phase experimental design. Based on G-power software calculations, 168 right-handed participants (62 males, 106 females, mean age 21.26±1.70) were recruited. Participants first completed a single-player Sequential Risk Task to measure risk preference, followed by group classification into three groups: Risky&Risky, Risky&Safe, and Safe&Safe. Task performance and decision-making behavior were recorded. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure cortical activation in the prefrontal cortex, focusing on inter-brain synchrony and coupling directionality using wavelet coherence and Granger causality(GC) analyses. Data were preprocessed to remove noise, and statistical analyses included repeated measures ANOVAs, Support Vector Regression and multiple regression analyses. Results: The study investigated dyadic risky decision-making among different paired groups, and the ''Risky&Risky'' group showed the highest risk-seeking behavior, with a significant main effect (F(2,81) = 7.438, P = 0.001). Inter-brain synchrony showed significance during outcome periods characterized by positive feedback, notably being higher within the ''Risky&Risky'' group. Granger causality analysis unveiled unique brain connectivity patterns, indicating that the GC values of ''Risky&Safe'' pairs increased during the diversion condition and decreased during the cooperation condition in comparison to other pairs, albeit without reaching statistical significance. Regression analysis indicated that OFC-mdlPFC GC values and personality traits were significant predictors of risk-taking, with the moderation of these effects by group membership (R² adjusted = 0.173 and 0.191). Conclusion: This study employed fNIRS hyperscanning to investigate how individual differences in risk preference impact decision-making in dyadic contexts. The results indicated that variations in connectivity and information transfer between the orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortices underlie the distinct risk-taking behaviors exhibited by dyadic pairs. These findings underscore the pivotal role of affective and cognitive control mechanisms and individual risk personality traits in cooperative decision-making under conditions of uncertainty.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001697Dyadic decision-makingRisk preferencesFunctional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)Inter-brain synchronyPrefrontal cortex
spellingShingle Qianlan Yin
Jing Wen
Shuo Chen
Tianya Hou
Ying Liu
Danni Yang
Guorui Liu
Peiqi Shi
Wei Dong
Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
NeuroImage
Dyadic decision-making
Risk preferences
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Inter-brain synchrony
Prefrontal cortex
title Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
title_full Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
title_fullStr Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
title_full_unstemmed Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
title_short Uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative Dyads: A fNIRS study
title_sort uncovering the neural basis of risk preferences in cooperative dyads a fnirs study
topic Dyadic decision-making
Risk preferences
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Inter-brain synchrony
Prefrontal cortex
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001697
work_keys_str_mv AT qianlanyin uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT jingwen uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT shuochen uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT tianyahou uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT yingliu uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT danniyang uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT guoruiliu uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT peiqishi uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy
AT weidong uncoveringtheneuralbasisofriskpreferencesincooperativedyadsafnirsstudy