Neuroscience research
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Neuroscience research · Sep 2010
The neural correlates of endowment effect without economic transaction.
People always concern about what they have and what they might lose even it is just imaginary property. According to Prospect Theory, the losses might be weighted by subjects higher than gain, which would cause the disparity between the willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) compensation in economic valuation. ⋯ Brain activation associated with this price discrepancy was observed in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), where voxel-based morphometry of MRI revealed the positive correlation between gray matter concentration and WTA/WTP ratio. These findings suggest the functional relevance of IFG in WTA/WTP discrepancy for pricing without any actual gain and loss, where an integration of loss aversion-related signals from insula and expected value signals may occur.
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Neuroscience research · Sep 2010
Identification of male-biased gene: parvalbumin in song control nuclei of the Bengalese finch.
Sex differences in song nuclei are evident across songbirds. To explore candidate genes involving in the sexual dimorphism of song nuclei, the present study used suppression subtraction hybridization to identify male-biased genes in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata). ⋯ The total number of PV mRNA or protein cells was significantly larger in males in the HVC, RA, and Area X for PD45 and adult. Considering that calcium-binding proteins have reported effects on the maturation of some brain areas, and on the sexual differentiation of mammalian brain areas by affecting cell survival rates, our study suggests that PV may be involved in the functional maturation of neurons in song nuclei or the sexual differentiation of song system.