Increasing the Difference in Decision Making for Oneself and for Others by Stimulating the Right Temporoparietal Junction

Abstract

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) has been thought to be associated with the difference in self-other decision making. In the present study, using noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), we examined whether stimulating the rTPJ could modulate the self-other decision-making difference. We found that after receiving anodal stimulation of the rTPJ, participants were more likely to choose a high-value item for others than for themselves in the situations where the win probability of the high-value item was equal to or greater than that of a low-value item, indicating that elevating the cortical excitability of the rTPJ might increase the self-other decision-making difference in certain decision contexts. Our results suggest that decision making for others depends on neural activity in the rTPJ and regulation of the excitability of the rTPJ can influence the self-other decision-making difference.

Transcranial direct current stimulation of the posterior parietal cortex biases human hand choice

“…Following the power analysis, a sample size of 16 was required for a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with three measurements. The large effect size was determined based on previous studies that examined the effects of tDCS on decision-making [16][17][18] . The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) no history of nerve injury or orthopaedic injury to the upper extremity; (2) no history of epilepsy, seizures, brain damage, head injury, loss of consciousness, or brain surgery with implants in the head; (3) no history of chronic or acute neurological, psychiatric, or medical illnesses; (4) no history of drug addiction or tobacco consumption; and (5) not currently pregnant.…”