Altruism costs-the cheap signal from amygdala.

When people state their willingness to pay for something, the amount usually differs from the behavior in a real purchase situation. The discrepancy between a hypothetical answer and the real act is called hypothetical bias. We investigated neural processes of hypothetical bias regarding monetary donations to public goods using fMRI with the hypothesis that amygdala codes for real costs.

Effects of L-dopa and oxazepam on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity: a randomized, cross-sectional placebo study.

Pharmacological functional brain imaging has traditionally focused on neuropharmacological modulations of event-related responses. The current study is a randomized, cross-sectional resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study where a single dose of commonly prescribed amounts of either benzodiazepine (oxazepam), L-dopa, or placebo was given to 81 healthy subjects. It was hypothesized that the connectivity in resting-state networks would be altered, and that the strength of connectivity in areas rich in target receptors would be particularly affected.

Limbic justice--amygdala involvement in immediate rejection in the Ultimatum Game.

Imaging studies have revealed a putative neural account of emotional bias in decision making. However, it has been difficult in previous studies to identify the causal role of the different sub-regions involved in decision making. The Ultimatum Game (UG) is a game to study the punishment of norm-violating behavior.

Effects of oxazepam on affective perception, recognition, and event-related potentials.

Background: Little is known about how rapid electrocortical responses (event-related potentials; ERPs) to affective pictures are modulated by benzodiazepine agonists. The present study investigated effects of oxazepam (20 mg p.o.

Emotional perception modulated by an opioid and a cholecystokinin agonist.

Rationale: The cholecystokinin (CCK) and opioid neuromodulatory systems work in an antagonistic fashion and can modulate emotional states and noxious input in opposite directions. In this behavioral study, we generalize this idea and suggest that CCK and opioids can modulate the processing of other external signals, e.g.