Research articleImpaired decision making under risky conditions in the acute phase of Graves' thyroitoxicosis

- Decision making in Graves' disease were explored using GDT task.
- Graves' patients had poor performance in decision making under risk.
- Use of negative feedback was negatively correlated with HAMA in patients.
- The deficits might be related to extensive brain disorders and dopamine dysfunction.

The patients with Graves' thyroitoxicosis often complain that they have neuropsychiatric symptoms and impaired cognitive function. Decision making is important and complex process involving the interaction and integration of a series of cognitive components. In the 31 newly diagnosed patients with Graves' thyroitoxicosis and 30 healthy controls, we used the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and The Game of Dice Task (GDT) to assess the emotion and decision making under risky conditions. The patients with Graves' disease had higher score on HAMA and HAMD, and had poorer performance in GDT than healthy controls. A negative correlation was found between utilization of negative feedback and score of HAMA in the patients with Graves' disease. Our findings in Graves' disease might be association with the extensive brain disorders including prefrontal cortex and the limbic system, and dopamine dysfunction.