FRANK SINATRA learned from regret. He acknowledged he鈥檇 experienced it a few times, but adapted his behaviour to avoid feeling the same way again: regrets, he鈥檇 had a few, he sang, but then again too few to mention.
Now scientists have identified the regions of the brain that are active when we feel regret, and shown how we learn from it. The work may eventually lead to a treatment for those whose 鈥渞egret learning circuits鈥� don鈥檛 work properly, such as pathological gamblers.
鈥淭he results show that regret is anatomically different from disappointment鈥�
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Angela Sirigu at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in Bron, France, and colleagues designed an experiment in which 15 volunteers had their brains scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they were offered the choice of two gambles, one with a good chance of winning a modest amount, another with a poor chance of winning a large amount. If the gamble failed, the subjects鈥� disappointment registered as activity in the middle temporal gyrus and the dorsal brain stem, areas known to be involved in processing pain signals.
Then the researchers showed their volunteers what would have happened if they had made the other choice, making them feel regret. Brain activity increased in the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala 鈥� regions involved in motivational learning and adaptive emotional behaviour.
The results from the scans show that regret is anatomically different from disappointment, as you might expect from the different way it feels. They also showed how regret has a beneficial effect. The volunteers each underwent 192 trials, and as they made their gambling decisions they modified their behaviour, making choices they were less likely to regret. These modified, 鈥渟afer choices鈥� increased in number as the experiment progressed (Nature Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1038/nn1514).
Pathological gamblers probably have deficiencies in the way their brains process feelings of regret, says Hugo Critchley of the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience in London, where the trials were conducted.
鈥淏y knowing where in the brain these areas can be found we can look at the neurotransmitters involved and think about pharmacological treatment,鈥� adds Paul Matthews, director of the Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain at the University of Oxford. He said the study was remarkabe for the insight it gives into the underlying systems governing complex cognitive processes.
