Journal article
Damage to the insula is associated with abnormal interpersonal trust
Neuropsychologia, Vol.71, pp.165-172
05/2015
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.04.003
PMCID: PMC4417431
PMID: 25846668
Abstract
Reciprocal trust is a crucial component of cooperative, mutually beneficial social relationships. Previous research using tasks that require judging and developing interpersonal trust has suggested that the insula may be an important brain region underlying these processes (King-Casas et al., 2008). Here, using a neuropsychological approach, we investigated the role of the insula in reciprocal trust during the Trust Game (TG), an interpersonal economic exchange. Consistent with previous research, we found that neurologically normal adults reciprocate trust in kind, i.e., they increase trust in response to increases from their partners, and decrease trust in response to decreases. In contrast, individuals with damage to the insula displayed abnormal expressions of trust. Specifically, these individuals behaved benevolently (expressing misplaced trust) when playing the role of investor, and malevolently (violating their partner's trust) when playing the role of the trustee. Our findings lend further support to the idea that the insula is important for expressing normal interpersonal trust, perhaps because the insula helps to recognize risk during decision-making and to identify social norm violations.
•Individuals with brain damage and healthy adults participated in a Trust Game (TG).•Individuals with damage to the insula performed abnormally on the TG.•The insula is a critical structure for decision-making in the TG.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Damage to the insula is associated with abnormal interpersonal trust
- Creators
- Amy M Belfi - Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, 356 MRC, Iowa City, IA, USATimothy R Koscik - Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, CanadaDaniel Tranel - Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, 356 MRC, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Neuropsychologia, Vol.71, pp.165-172
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.04.003
- PMID
- 25846668
- PMCID
- PMC4417431
- NLM abbreviation
- Neuropsychologia
- ISSN
- 0028-3932
- eISSN
- 1873-3514
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000913, name: James S. McDonnell Foundation, award: 220020387; name: Kiwanis Foundation, and NINDS, award: P01 NS19632
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/2015
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984002474102771
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