Scientists can detect how reckless a person might be in their brain waves

By Maria Collinge via SWNS

Whether someone is a risk-taker can be detected in their brain waves while they sleep, according to a new study.

Researchers have pinpointed the exact area of the brain to identify if a person will be more reckless.

The study from the University of Bern in Switzerland concludes that slower wave activity (SWA) in the right prefrontal cortex is associated with increased risk-taking behavior.

The team analyzed the sleep waves found in 54 “good sleepers” who are in slumber for seven to eight hours per night.

Data was collated using a portable polysomnographic system with 64 electrodes placed at their scalp during participants’ normal sleep.

To see how risky their behavior was each participant then played a computer game where they could win real money.

They had to decide how far they would drive a car in the knowledge that at some point, a wall would appear with which the car would collide.

Each meter driven earned them more money but also increased their risk of crashing.

Dr. Lorena Gianotti said: “Interestingly, the sleep duration had no impact in terms of propensity for risk, at least in our study with good sleepers.

“Rather, it is crucial that deep sleep takes place in the 'right' brain regions - in this case, in the right prefrontal cortex.”

Daria Knoch, Professor of Social Neuroscience at the University of Bern, and leader of the study said: “The fewer slow waves an individual has over their right prefrontal cortex during deep sleep, the greater their propensity for risk.

“Among other functions, this region of the brain is important to control one’s own impulses.”

Doctoral student and first author Mirjam Studler said: “The undisturbed measurement of the brain activity during sleep in a familiar environment and the high density of data collected by the 64 electrodes are rather rare as a constellation in sleep research.

“This allows the participants to sleep naturally and allows us to collect a large quantity of data.”

They found that participants who show lower slow-wave activity over their right prefrontal cortex generally demonstrate a greater propensity for risk than others.

Since risky behavior can have both considerable health and financial consequences, the study provides a further step in understanding the mechanisms underlying the propensity for such behaviors.

Prof Knoch added: “Our findings can be incorporated into targeted interventions. Sleep researchers are now developing techniques to specifically modulate slow waves.”

The study was published in the journal NeuroImage.