Data from: Neural correlates of successful and unsuccessful strategical mechanisms involved in uncertain decision-making

The ability to develop successful long-term strategies in uncertain situations relies on complex neural mechanisms. Although lesion studies have shown some of the mechanisms involved, it is still unknown why some healthy subjects are able to make the right decision whereas others are not. The aim of our study was to investigate neurophysiological differences underlying this ability to develop a successful strategy in a group of healthy subjects playing a monetary card game called the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). In this task, subjects have to win and earn money by choosing between four decks of cards, two were advantageous in the long term and two disadvantageous. Twenty healthy right-handed subjects performed the IGT while their cerebral activity was recorded by electroencephalography. Based on their behavioral performances, two groups of subjects could clearly be distinguished: one who selected the good decks and thus succeeded in developing a Favorable strategy (9 subjects) and one who remained Undecided (11 subjects). No neural difference was found between each group before the selection of a deck, but in both groups a greater negativity was found emerging from the right superior frontal gyrus 600 ms before a disadvantageous selection. During the processing of the feedback, an attenuation of the P200 and P300 waveforms was found for the Undecided group, and a P300 originating from the medial frontal gyrus was found in response to a loss only in the Favorable group. Our results suggest that undecided subjects are hyposensitive to the valence of the cards during gambling, which affects the feedback processing.在不确定情境中制定成功长期策略的能力依赖于复杂的神经机制。尽管脑损伤研究（lesion studies）已揭示部分相关机制，但目前仍不清楚为何部分健康受试者能够做出正确决策，而其余受试者却无法做到。本研究旨在通过让健康受试者参与名为爱荷华赌博任务（Iowa Gambling Task, IGT）的金钱卡牌游戏，探究与该成功制定策略能力相关的神经生理学差异。在该任务中，受试者需从四张卡牌堆中进行选择以赢取金钱，其中两组长时收益为优，另外两组长时收益为劣。20名健康右利手受试者完成了IGT任务，同时通过脑电图（electroencephalography）记录其大脑活动。基于行为表现，可将受试者明确分为两组：一组选择优堆并成功形成有利策略（9人），另一组则始终犹豫不决（11人）。在卡牌选择前，两组受试者未观察到神经活动差异；但在做出不利选择前600毫秒，两组均发现右侧额上回出现更强的负波。在反馈处理阶段，犹豫不决组的P200与P300波形出现衰减；而仅有利策略组在遭遇损失时，观察到源自内侧额回的P300成分。本研究结果表明，犹豫不决的受试者在赌博任务中对卡牌的效价敏感性较低，这会影响其反馈处理过程。