Stimulation of the human ventral tegmental area increases strategic betting
Recent Publication
How does targeted brain stimulation affect our decision-making behavior? This question was investigated by an international research team led by first author Dr. Stephanie Hirschbichler MSc PhD - with the participation of the Division of Neurology at the University Hospital St. Pölten. They published the results of an exciting experiment in the journal Brain: patients with deep brain stimulation in the area of the reward system (ventral tegmental area) were asked to make monetary decisions and assess their confidence in their own choices. With active stimulation, they showed more strategic betting behavior and were less influenced by previous rounds, while their learning ability remained unchanged.
Hirschbichler, S. T., Lagrata, S., Shedd, N., Akram, H., Schwingenschuh, P., Waiß, C., Oberndorfer, S., Matharu, M. S., & Manohar, S. G. (2025). Stimulation of the human ventral tegmental area increases strategic betting. Brain. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf210
OÄ Dr. Stephanie Hirschbichler MSc PhD
Division of Neurology (University Hospital St. Pölten)
OA Dr. Christoph Waiß
Division of Neurology (University Hospital St. Pölten)
Prim. Univ.-Prof. PD Dr. Stefan Oberndorfer FEAN
Division of Neurology (University Hospital St. Pölten)