Neurology Department, University Hospital of Rennes, Rennes, France; Epileptology Department, Timone Hospital, Public Assistance Hospitals of Marseille, Marseille, France
Functional Neurology and Epileptology Department, Hospices Civils de Lyon and Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Centre de recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Toulouse, France
Marie Denuelle
Centre de recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Toulouse, France; Neurology Department, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Louis Maillard
Neurology Department, University Hospital of Nancy, Nancy, France
Lorella Minotti
Neurology Department, University Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France
Philippe Kahane
Neurology Department, University Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France
Mathias Pessiglione
Neurology Department, University Hospital of Nancy, Nancy, France
Identifying factors whose fluctuations are associated with choice inconsistency is a major issue for rational decision theory. Here, we investigated the neuro-computational mechanisms through which mood fluctuations may bias human choice behavior. Intracerebral EEG data were collected in a large group of subjects (n=30) while they were performing interleaved quiz and choice tasks that were designed to examine how a series of unrelated feedbacks affect decisions between safe and risky options. Neural baseline activity preceding choice onset was confronted first to mood level, estimated by a computational model integrating the feedbacks received in the quiz task, and then to the weighting of option attributes, in a computational model predicting risk attitude in the choice task. Results showed that (1) elevated broadband gamma activity (BGA) in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsal anterior insula (daIns) was respectively signaling periods of high and low mood, (2) increased vmPFC and daIns BGA respectively promoted and tempered risk taking by overweighting gain vs. loss prospects. Thus, incidental feedbacks induce brain states that correspond to different moods and bias the evaluation of risky options. More generally, these findings might explain why people experiencing positive (or negative) outcome in some part of their life tend to expect success (or failure) in any other.