Dopamine Release in Human Brain Tracked at Microsecond Timescale Reveals Decision-Making

 A research team led by investigators at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute has demonstrated the first rapid measurements of dopamine release in a human brain and provided preliminary evidence that the neurotransmitter can be tracked in its movement between brain cells while a subject expresses decision-making behavior.

“In an experiment where we measured dopamine release while a subject made investment decisions in a stock market trading game, we showed that dopamine tracks changes in the value of the market,” said Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and professor of physics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.

“A startling discovery was that the dopamine signal appeared to be a very good indicator of the market value and in many instances a good predictor of future market changes,” said Kenneth Kishida, a postdoctoral associate with the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and the lead author on the report. Interestingly, the choice expressed by the subject did not always correspond with the prescient brain chemistry, he said.

The researchers report that they were surprised to observe that “the slope of the dopamine signal over a period five seconds prior to a market price update correlated with subsequent market returns…, demonstrating that it is a significant predictor of future market activity.”

“This exciting preliminary result requires replication, but it immediately sets the imagination in motion,” said Kishida. “I often wonder whether there is a feeling associated with these dopamine fluctuations and whether there is any connection with that ‘gut feeling’ people sometimes ignore.”

Writing in the PLoS ONE article, the researchers conclude, “This methodological demonstration opens the door to future investigations utilizing sub-second chemical measurements in the human brain, which should yield important insights into the role of dopamine signaling in human decision-making

Read More (Via Science Daily)

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Titled: Thinking In Color