{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:56:35Z","timestamp":1785408995054,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,22]],"date-time":"2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745280000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100020963","name":"Moonshot Research and Development Program","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JPMJMS2011"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JPMJMS2011"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100020963","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003382","name":"Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JPMJCR22P4"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JPMJCR22P4"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003382","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000646","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science London","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["22H05155"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["22H05155"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000646","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosbiology.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Biol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>With the rise of cyberspace technologies, communication through avatars has become increasingly common. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying behavioral changes induced by avatar interactions remain poorly understood, particularly when avatars serve as communication partners. To address this gap and uncover the biological mechanisms involved, we conducted behavioral (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 28) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 51) experiments using a simple gambling task. Participants received dynamic facial-expression feedback from either a human observer presented as an avatar or a real human face based on the outcome (win or no-win) of each gambling trial. Our results showed that expecting avatar feedback significantly increased gambling behavior in both behavioral and fMRI settings. Computational modeling revealed that differences in risk-taking behavior between the avatar and human conditions were associated with differential valuation of feedback uncertainty. Furthermore, we found that the amygdala encodes the differential valuation of feedback uncertainty, where a negative response to feedback uncertainty played a key role in choosing a gambling option. Additionally, we found that individual differences in behavioral and neural valuation of feedback uncertainty correlate with the questionnaire score that measures emotional consideration of another person\u2019s internal states. These results demonstrate the facilitation of risk-taking behavior by avatar feedback and its underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms, thus providing deeper biological insights into risk-taking behavior and implications for human social interactions using avatars.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pbio.3003122","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,23]],"date-time":"2025-04-23T08:36:43Z","timestamp":1745397403000},"page":"e3003122","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pbio.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Feedback from an avatar facilitates risk-taking by modulating the amygdala response to feedback uncertainty"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Toshiko","family":"Tanaka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0817-0720","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Masahiko","family":"Haruno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"pbio.3003122.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"651","DOI":"10.1080\/15213269.2019.1623698","article-title":"Avatar characteristics induce users\u2019 behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a meta-analysis of the proteus effect","volume":"23","author":"R Ratan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Media Psychol"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1162\/pres_a_00392","article-title":"A new meta-analysis of the proteus effect: studies in VR find stronger effect sizes","volume":"31","author":"D Beyea","year":"2022","journal-title":"PRESENCE: Virtual and Augmented Reality"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"917","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2018.00917","article-title":"Virtually being einstein results in an improvement in cognitive task performance and a decrease in age bias","volume":"9","author":"D Banakou","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref004","first-page":"1","article-title":"Drumming in immersive virtual reality: the body shapes the way we play","author":"K Kilteni","year":"2013"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1177\/0093650208330254","article-title":"The proteus effect: implications of transformed digital self-representation on online and offline behavior","volume":"36","author":"N Yee","year":"2009","journal-title":"Commun Res"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.3389\/neuro.09.008.2008","article-title":"Feeling present in arousing virtual reality worlds: prefrontal brain regions differentially orchestrate presence experience in adults and children","volume":"2","author":"T Baumgartner","year":"2008","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-64218-5_15","article-title":"Overcoming public speaking anxiety of software engineers using virtual reality exposure therapy.","volume-title":"Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement","author":"MD Nazligul","year":"2017"},{"issue":"5","key":"pbio.3003122.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0216288","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0216288","article-title":"Public speaking anxiety decreases within repeated virtual reality training sessions","volume":"14","author":"M Takac","year":"2019","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"4","key":"pbio.3003122.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"276","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.bp.116.184234","article-title":"Virtual reality compared with in vivo exposure in the treatment of social anxiety disorder: a three-arm randomised controlled trial","volume":"210","author":"S Bouchard","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br J Psychiatry"},{"issue":"9","key":"pbio.3003122.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0161794","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0161794","article-title":"Let the Avatar brighten your smile: effects of enhancing facial expressions in virtual environments","volume":"11","author":"SY Oh","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1162\/isal_a_00394","article-title":"Evaluation of the effect of mimicry on facial expression in Avatar-Mediated Communication","author":"M Suda","year":"2021","journal-title":"The 2021 Conference on Artificial Life"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1159\/000414022","article-title":"Social phobia","volume":"22","author":"MR Liebowitz","year":"1987","journal-title":"Mod Probl Pharmacopsychiatry"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref013","first-page":"85","article-title":"A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy","volume":"10","author":"M Davis","year":"1980","journal-title":"JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref014","volume-title":"Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory","author":"CD Spielberger","year":"1970"},{"issue":"12","key":"pbio.3003122.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2374","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2008.10.030","article-title":"Sex differences in the brain response to affective scenes with or without humans","volume":"47","author":"AM Proverbio","year":"2009","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"263","DOI":"10.2307\/1914185","article-title":"Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk","volume":"47","author":"D Kahneman","year":"1979","journal-title":"Econometrica"},{"issue":"4","key":"pbio.3003122.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00122574","article-title":"Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representation of uncertainty","volume":"5","author":"A Tversky","year":"1992","journal-title":"J Risk Uncertainty"},{"issue":"5811","key":"pbio.3003122.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"515","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1134239","article-title":"The neural basis of loss aversion in decision-making under risk","volume":"315","author":"SM Tom","year":"2007","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref019","article-title":"Variance-seeking for positive (and variance-aversion for negative) experiences: risk-seeking in the domain of gains?","author":"JM Martin","year":"2008 Feb","journal-title":"Harvard Business School Working Paper"},{"issue":"6","key":"pbio.3003122.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"643","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.36.6.643","article-title":"Gambling with the house money and trying to break even: the effects of prior outcomes on risky choice","volume":"36","author":"RH Thaler","year":"1990","journal-title":"Manag Sci"},{"issue":"6","key":"pbio.3003122.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"716","DOI":"10.1109\/TAC.1974.1100705","article-title":"A new look at the statistical model identification","volume":"19","author":"H Akaike","year":"1974","journal-title":"IEEE Trans Automat Contr"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1214\/aos\/1176344136","article-title":"Estimating the dimension of a model","volume":"6","author":"G Schwarz","year":"1978","journal-title":"Ann Statist"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"275","DOI":"10.1016\/0306-4522(85)90002-8","article-title":"The topographic order of inputs to nucleus accumbens in the rat","volume":"16","author":"OT Phillipson","year":"1985","journal-title":"Neuroscience"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.1016\/S0306-4522(01)00546-2","article-title":"Amygdaloid projections to ventromedial striatal subterritories in the primate","volume":"110","author":"JL Fudge","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neuroscience"},{"issue":"4","key":"pbio.3003122.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"615","DOI":"10.1002\/cne.903630408","article-title":"Limbic connections of the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex in macaque monkeys","volume":"363","author":"ST Carmichael","year":"1995","journal-title":"J Comp Neurol"},{"issue":"1\u20132","key":"pbio.3003122.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1016\/0006-8993(85)90530-X","article-title":"The amygdalostriatal projections in the monkey. An anterograde tracing study","volume":"329","author":"FT Russchen","year":"1985","journal-title":"Brain Res"},{"issue":"3","key":"pbio.3003122.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1093\/scan\/nsq103","article-title":"Bottom-up and top-down emotion generation: implications for emotion regulation","volume":"7","author":"K McRae","year":"2012","journal-title":"Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci"},{"issue":"6","key":"pbio.3003122.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"ENEURO.0392-17.2017","DOI":"10.1523\/ENEURO.0392-17.2017","article-title":"Combinatorial inputs to the ventral striatum from the temporal cortex, frontal cortex, and amygdala: implications for segmenting the striatum","volume":"4","author":"EY Choi","year":"2017","journal-title":"eNeuro"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1173185","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2023.1173185","article-title":"Effects of avatar shape and motion on mirror neuron system activity","volume":"17","author":"Y Miyamoto","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"issue":"3","key":"pbio.3003122.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1461","DOI":"10.3758\/s13428-021-01676-5","article-title":"Avatars with faces of real people: A construction method for scientific experiments in virtual reality","volume":"54","author":"MC Fysh","year":"2022","journal-title":"Behav Res Methods"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-72712-2_10","article-title":"Psychology for avatar communication.","volume-title":"Emotional Engineering, Vol.10","author":"T. Ogi","year":"2025"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref032","first-page":"491","volume-title":"Avatar-based Macroeconomics: Experimental Insights into Artificial Agents Behavior. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence (ICAART 2014)","author":"G Giulioni","year":"2014"},{"issue":"2","key":"pbio.3003122.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1016\/0959-4388(92)90011-9","article-title":"Brain mechanisms of emotion and emotional learning","volume":"2","author":"JE LeDoux","year":"1992","journal-title":"Curr Opin Neurobiol"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/S0079-6123(06)56001-7","article-title":"Emotion, motivation, and the brain: reflex foundations in animal and human research","volume":"156","author":"PJ Lang","year":"2006","journal-title":"Prog Brain Res"},{"issue":"1","key":"pbio.3003122.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1038\/s41386-021-01101-7","article-title":"Prefrontal cortex and depression","volume":"47","author":"DA Pizzagalli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neuropsychopharmacology"},{"issue":"4","key":"pbio.3003122.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"802","DOI":"10.1111\/adb.12640","article-title":"Amygdala volume is associated with risky probability cognition in gambling disorder","volume":"24","author":"H Takeuchi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Addict Biol"},{"key":"pbio.3003122.ref037","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e45249","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.45249","article-title":"A human subcortical network underlying social avoidance revealed by risky economic choices","volume":"8","author":"J Schultz","year":"2019","journal-title":"Elife"},{"issue":"12","key":"pbio.3003122.ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1181","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.48.12.1181","article-title":"The efficacy of psychological, educational, and behavioral treatment. Confirmation from meta-analysis","volume":"48","author":"MW Lipsey","year":"1993","journal-title":"Am Psychol"},{"issue":"10","key":"pbio.3003122.ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"748","DOI":"10.1038\/s41562-017-0207-1","article-title":"Brain response patterns to economic inequity predict present and future depression indices","volume":"1","author":"T Tanaka","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nat Hum Behav"}],"container-title":["PLOS Biology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pbio.3003122","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,23]],"date-time":"2025-04-23T08:36:57Z","timestamp":1745397417000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pbio.3003122"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Matthew F. S.","family":"Rushworth","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,22]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,22]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pbio.3003122","relation":{},"ISSN":["1545-7885"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1545-7885","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,22]]}}}