Innovative Computational Model Reveals How Brain's Decision-Making Is Disrupted in Psychiatric Conditions

Researchers from The Mount Sinai Hospital, in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso, have developed a groundbreaking computational framework to better understand how the brain's striatum influences decision-making processes and how these processes can be impaired in psychiatric disorders. The striatum, a key brain region involved in cognition, motor control, motivation, and reward perception, is divided into compartments called striosomes and the matrix. While the functional significance of this organization has been largely elusive, the new model sheds light on how activity within the striosomal area impacts decision strategies.

The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that modulating activity in the striosomes could be a promising therapeutic approach for improving decision-making in mental health conditions. High levels of activity in the striosomes tend to promote simple, impulsive choices driven by a single factor, sometimes leading to rash decisions. Conversely, moderate activity encourages complex decision-making involving multiple factors, while excessively low activity results in decision paralysis due to overanalysis.

By integrating biological data with decision theory and advanced mathematical modeling, the researchers uncovered that brain information about relevant decision factors flows into the striosomes, which then determine the complexity of the decision process. Disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, characterized by risky behaviors, may be linked to hyperactive striosomes that prioritize potential rewards and underestimate costs. On the other hand, depression, which often involves indecisiveness, might relate to hypoactive striosomes that consider too many factors.

This innovative model offers a new perspective for understanding the neural underpinnings of decision-making deficits in psychiatric conditions. It also opens new avenues for targeted interventions aimed at modulating striosomal activity to restore healthier decision-making patterns, potentially benefiting a wide range of mental health disorders. The collaborative study involved multiple departments at Mount Sinai and the University of Texas at El Paso.