Neuroeconomic Approaches in Mental Disorders

Abstract

Approaches from neuroeconomy have recently received increased attention in the investigation of mental disorders. In this chapter, we will give an overview of concepts and paradigms from neuroeconomics that have been applied in different mental disorders and summarize first results in this emerging field. We focus, thereby, on 'social decision-making' which constitutes one of the main concepts of neuroeconomy. First findings suggest that these approaches may prove to be promising research tools In the investigation of social functioning, which is a prominent symptom domain in many mental disorders. In contrast to self- and observer-based questionnaires that have provided information on how interaction behaviour is subjectively perceived by the patients themselves or their social environment, the variety of exchange games from behavioural economy allow for a direct and, thus, unbiased assessment of Interaction behaviour. So far, findings suggest that neuroeconomic tools are suited to uncover alterations in social interaction behaviour in mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, borderline personality disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but also schizophrenia and autism. However, the investigation of social Interaction behaviour in mental disorders poses particular challenges. Deficits in basal or complex cognitive functions, such as working memory, deficits in basal social cognitive processes, such as the recognition of emotional facial expressions and a lower socioeconomic status due to long periods of illness and unemployment can be assumed to affect interaction behaviour. These have to be disentangled for the purpose of characterizing social decision-making in mental disorders and understanding the causes underlying its alterations. The combination of neuroeconomic approaches and their elaborated quantitative models with methods from experimental psychology und cognitive neurosciences seems a promising avenue to achieve this goal. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)