An Intriguing Look into the Dance of Dopamine and Serotonin in the Human Brain
In a recent study published in Nature Human Behavior, a team of international scientists has provided new insights into the role of dopamine and serotonin in social behavior. Conducted on Parkinson’s disease patients undergoing brain surgery, the research focused on the brain’s substantia nigra, a region associated with motor control and reward processing.
Led by Virginia Tech computational neuroscientist Read Montague, the team discovered a previously unknown neurochemical mechanism behind a well-known human tendency to make decisions based on social context. Interestingly, the study found that people are more likely to accept offers from computers while rejecting identical offers from human players.
To investigate this phenomenon, four Parkinson’s disease patients participating in deep brain stimulation surgery took part in the “take it or leave it” ultimatum game. In this game, participants had to accept or reject varying splits of $20 from both human and computer players. The researchers found that when playing once morest computers, participants played optimally, accepting even small rewards. However, when playing once morest humans, participants were more likely to reject offers, driven by a desire to punish the smaller bid.
The study shed light on the intricate dance between dopamine and serotonin in decision