A purple balloon appears on the screen. With
a click of the mouse, the balloon swells and a cash jackpot grows. But if the
balloon pops, the jackpot empties.
Do you cash out quickly and collect your
winnings? Or do you go for the big payoff and risk losing everything? That
might depend on your gender.
Called the balloon analogue risk task, the
test measures risk taking and decision making in participants. Using
neuroimaging, UT Arlington researchers studied the brain’s responses during
wins and losses, which can trigger changes in blood flow.
In a recent test of 40 adults ages 25-44,
women were far more likely to avoid risk, and women demonstrated stronger brain
activation when they lost, says nursing Assistant Professor Mary Cazzell
(pictured left), who is spearheading the research.
“We know males and females are different, but
it is fascinating to see the brains respond so differently. Nobody has really
looked at gender differences and risk decision making using neuroimaging, and
this could have major applications.”
Rather than use fMRI, or functional magnetic
resonance imaging, Dr. Liu suggested that Cazzell study the brain with fNIRS,
functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a relatively new, low-cost,
non-invasive, and portable imaging technique that monitors brain activity in
the prefrontal cortex.
Liu had already used fNIRS to study
post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans and pain in nonveterans. Because it
costs less to run than fMRI, it’s possible to involve a larger sample size.
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a low-cost
and non-invasive imaging technique, allows researchers to monitor activity in
the brain.
A fiber optic device placed on the subject’s
scalp measures changes in intensity of near-infrared light, which allows
researchers to monitor blood flow in the front of the brain. That worked well
for Cazzell’s research because the prefrontal cortex is responsible for making
decisions related to risk.
The partnership led to a published study in
the scientific journal NeuroImage. Cazzell and Liu plan to run the same
test on adults 65 and older. They eventually hope to determine whether gender differences
in risk taking exist across all stages of life.
The project is funded by start-up money from
UT Arlington and a grant from the Southern Nurses Research Society.
Congressional funding enabled the University to purchase the fNIRS technology.
The research could have far-reaching
applications, from understanding why certain people are more likely to engage
in risky behavior—heavy drinking, gambling, reckless driving—to helping
counselors tailor therapy based on age and gender.
The work also could help parents better
understand their children’s behavior. For example, parents could learn that
taking away privileges from a risk-averse teenage daughter might work better
than taking them away from a teenage son.
“This could offer parents a glimpse into how
their children think and how they view risks and rewards,” Cazzell says.
“Imagine having the ability to understand how people will respond to certain
environmental stressors.”
Cazzell, a longtime pediatric nurse, began
researching brain activity in adolescents and young people by studying
impulsivity and reward-seeking behaviors. The exploration has eased her
transition from nursing to academia.
“For 27 years I made a difference at the
bedside,” she says. “But I have found there are many other ways to make a
difference, and this research has the potential to make a difference on a big
level.”
(Article
courtesy of UTA Inquiry Magazine)
