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Published Online June 5, 2008
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1155577

Brevia

Submitted on January 23, 2008
Accepted on April 25, 2008

Serotonin Modulates Behavioral Reactions to Unfairness

Molly J. Crockett 1*, Luke Clark 1, Golnaz Tabibnia 2, Matthew D. Lieberman 2, Trevor W. Robbins 1

1 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK.; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, UK.
2 Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molly J. Crockett , E-mail: mc536{at}cam.ac.uk

Serotonin (5-HT) has long been implicated in social behavior and impulsivity, but the mechanisms through which it modulates self-control remain unclear. We observed the effects of manipulating 5-HT function on behavior in the Ultimatum Game, where players must decide whether to accept or reject fair or unfair monetary offers from another player. Participants with depleted 5-HT levels rejected a greater proportion of unfair, but not fair offers, without showing changes in mood, fairness judgments, basic reward processing, or response inhibition. Our results suggest that 5-HT plays a critical role in regulating emotion during social decision-making.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)