scholarly journals A role for reward valuation in the serotonergic modulation of impulsivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie S. Desrochers ◽  
Emma K. Lesko ◽  
Valerie M. Magalong ◽  
Peter D. Balsam ◽  
Katherine M. Nautiyal
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Impulsive Action ◽  
Serotonin 1B Receptor ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Serotonin Signaling ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Reward Valuation

Abstract Rationale Impulsive behavior is a deleterious component of a number of mental health disorders but has few targeted pharmacotherapies. One contributing factor to the difficulty in understanding the neural substrates of disordered impulsivity is the diverse presentations of impulsive behavior. Defining the behavioral and cognitive processes which contribute to different subtypes of impulsivity is important for understanding the neural underpinnings of dysregulated impulsive behavior. Methods Using a mouse model for disordered impulsivity, our goal was to identify behavioral and cognitive processes that are associated with increased impulsivity. Specifically, we were interested in the facets of impulsivity modulated by serotonin signaling. We used mice lacking the serotonin 1B receptor (5-HT1BR) and measured different types of impulsivity as well as goal-directed responding, extinction, habitual-like behavior, cue reactivity, and reward reactivity. Results Mice lacking expression of 5-HT1BR had increased levels of impulsive action, goal-directed responding, and motivation, with no differences seen in rate of extinction, development of habitual behavior, delay discounting, or effort-based discounting. Interestingly, mice lacking 5-HT1BR expression also showed an overall increase in the choice of higher value rewards, increased hedonic responses to sweet rewards, and responded more for cues that predict reward. We developed a novel paradigm to demonstrate that increasing anticipated reward value could directly increase impulsive action. Furthermore, we found that 5-HT1BR KO-induced impulsivity could be ameliorated by decreasing the reward value relative to controls, suggesting that the increased 5-HT1BR-associated impulsive action may be a result of increased reward valuation. Conclusions Taken together, these data show that the effects of serotonin on impulsive action are mediated through the modulation of hedonic value, which may alter the reward representations that motivate action. Overall, this data supports a role for reward value as an important substrate in impulsive action which may drive clinically relevant increases in impulsivity.

scholarly journals A role for reward sensitivity in the serotonergic modulation of impulsivity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie S. Desrochers ◽  
Emma Lesko ◽  
Valerie M. Magalong ◽  
Peter D. Balsam ◽  
Katherine M. Nautiyal
Keyword(s):  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Reward Sensitivity ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Impulsive Action ◽  
Behavioral Correlates ◽  
Serotonin 1B Receptor ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Trial Basis ◽  
Habitual Behavior ◽  
Serotonergic Modulation

AbstractWhile the neural substrates of impulsive behavior are commonly studied in humans and preclinical models, the behavioral substrates which contribute to impulsivity are still understudied. Understanding the behavioral underpinnings of impulsive behavior will allow us to better model disorders of impulsive behavior in animals, and also help more clearly define the underlying neural circuits. Our goal here was to explore behavioral correlates and effectors of impulsive behavior, using a mouse model for disordered impulsivity, namely mice lacking the serotonin 1B receptor (5-HT1BR). Our past work, along with others’, implicates 5-HT1BR in the regulation of impulsivity, specifically, impulsive action. In mice, the absence of 5-HT1BR expression in adulthood results in a reduced ability to wait or withhold responses. We report here, that in addition to increased impulsive action, mice lacking expression of 5-HT1BR show increased goal-directed responding and motivation, with no differences in extinction, development of habitual behavior, or impulsive choice measured in a delay discounting paradigm. Interestingly, mice lacking 5-HT1BR also show increased hedonic responses to sweet rewards. Finally, using a newly developed paradigm, we report that increasing reward value increases impulsive action on a trial-by-trial basis, showing how changing reward value can directly influence impulsive behavior. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that the effects of 5-HT1BR on impulsive action reflect enhanced reward sensitivity, and point to potential neural and phenotypic causes for clinically-relevant increases in impulsivity.

Comparison of Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Reward Value Measured During a Cue-Reactivity Task: An Extension of the Choice Behavior Under Cued Conditions Procedure

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1394-1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley N Dowd ◽  
Stephen T Tiffany
Keyword(s):  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Electronic Cigarette ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Tobacco Cigarette ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Multiple Trials ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Specific Reactions

Abstract Introduction Up to 24% of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users are concurrent users of both tobacco and e-cigarettes (dual users). Dual users provide an opportunity to assess key motivational processes supporting e-cigarette use, such as the reward value of e-cigarettes. This study used the Choice Behavior Under Cued Conditions procedure to examine cue-specific reactions to tobacco and e-cigarettes with a primary focus on evaluating the relative reward value of both forms of cigarettes. Methods Fifty-four dual users were exposed to a lit tobacco cigarette, their own e-cigarette, or a cup of water across multiple trials. On each trial, participants rated their craving for both tobacco and e-cigarettes and indicated the amount of money they would spend to access the cue. Key measures included craving, amount of money spent to access the cue, latency to access the cue, spending choice time, and consumption. Results Participants reported significantly higher craving and spent significantly more money on tobacco and e-cigarette trials than on water trials. The magnitude of cue-specific craving was comparable across tobacco and e-cigarettes, but participants spent significantly more to access tobacco cigarettes than e-cigarettes. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate cue-specific reactivity to e-cigarettes utilizing a neutral comparison condition and to examine the reward value of e-cigarettes relative to tobacco cigarettes. Overall, the data suggest that e-cigarette puffs are less valued and generate less craving than tobacco cigarette puffs for dual users. The data provide clear support for the utility of Choice Behavior Under Cued Conditions for examining a range of motivational processes supporting e-cigarette use. Implications The test procedure used in this research generates multiple indices of nicotine and tobacco motivation and allows for an explicit comparison of those variables in people who use both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes.

scholarly journals Exploring reward-related attention selectivity deficits in Parkinson’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. D. Pilgrim ◽  
Zhen-Yi Andy Ou ◽  
Madeleine Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Adaptive Modulation ◽  
Attention Capture ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Automatic Attention ◽  
Reward Information

AbstractAn important aspect of managing a limited cognitive resource like attention is to use the reward value of stimuli to prioritize the allocation of attention to higher-value over lower-value stimuli. Recent evidence suggests this depends on dopaminergic signaling of reward. In Parkinson’s disease, both reward sensitivity and attention are impaired, but whether these deficits are directly related to one another is unknown. We tested whether Parkinson’s patients use reward information when automatically allocating their attention and whether this is modulated by dopamine replacement. We compared patients, tested both ON and OFF dopamine replacement medication, to older controls using a standard attention capture task. First, participants learned the different reward values of stimuli. Then, these reward-associated stimuli were used as distractors in a visual search task. We found that patients were generally distracted by the presence of the distractors but that the degree of distraction caused by the high-value and low-value distractors was similar. Furthermore, we found no evidence to support the possibility that dopamine replacement modulates the effect of reward on automatic attention allocation. Our results suggest a possible inability in Parkinson’s patients to use the reward value of stimuli when automatically allocating their attention, and raise the possibility that reward-driven allocation of resources may affect the adaptive modulation of other cognitive processes.

Towards understanding loss of control

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris McCusker
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Implicit Memory ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Social Learning Theory ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Cognitive Social Learning

Chapter 5 discusses an automatic network theory of addictive behaviours, including cognitive social learning theory and the expectancy construct, anomalies and limitations in traditional cognitive and expectancy theories, autonomic cue-reactivity phenomena, and methods of cognitive assessment, automatic cognitive processes in addictive behaviours, implicit memory structures and processes in addictive behaviours.

scholarly journals Health news sharing is reflected in distributed reward-related brain activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1111-1119
Author(s):  
B P Doré ◽  
C Scholz ◽  
E C Baek ◽  
E B Falk
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Health News ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Reward Valuation

Abstract Neuroimaging has identified individual brain regions, but not yet whole-brain patterns, that correlate with the population impact of health messaging. We used neuroimaging to measure whole-brain responses to health news articles across two studies. Beyond activity in core reward value-related regions (ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex), our approach leveraged whole-brain responses to each article, quantifying expression of a distributed pattern meta-analytically associated with reward valuation. The results indicated that expression of this whole-brain pattern was associated with population-level sharing of these articles beyond previously identified brain regions and self-report variables. Further, the efficacy of the meta-analytic pattern was not reducible to patterns within core reward value-related regions but rather depended on larger-scale patterns. Overall, this work shows that a reward-related pattern of whole-brain activity is related to health information sharing, advancing neuroscience models of the mechanisms underlying the spread of health information through a population.

scholarly journals Meditation and the Wandering Mind: A Theoretical Framework of Underlying Neurocognitive Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
pp. 174569162091734
Author(s):  
Tracy Brandmeyer ◽  
Arnaud Delorme
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Thought Patterns ◽  
Bodily Sensations ◽  
Spontaneous Thought ◽  
Sensory Processes ◽  
The Mind

During the practice of meditation, the tendency of the mind to wander away from the object of focus is ubiquitous. The occurrence of mind wandering in the context of meditation provides individuals a unique and intimate opportunity to closely examine the nature of the wandering mind by cultivating an awareness of ongoing thought patterns, while simultaneously aiming to cultivate equanimity (evenness of temper or disposition) and compassion toward the content of thoughts, interpretations, and bodily sensations. In this article we provide a theoretical framework that highlights the neurocognitive mechanisms by which contemplative practices influence the neural and phenomenological processes underlying spontaneous thought. Our theoretical model focuses on several converging mechanisms: the role of meta-awareness in facilitating an increased moment-to-moment awareness of spontaneous thought processes, the effects of meditation practice on key structures underlying both the top-down cognitive processes and bottom-up sensory processes implicated in attention and emotion regulation, and the influence of contemplative practice on the neural substrates underlying perception and perceptual decoupling.

scholarly journals Neural substrates of smoking cue reactivity: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies

NeuroImage ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Engelmann ◽  
Francesco Versace ◽  
Jason D. Robinson ◽  
Jennifer A. Minnix ◽  
Cho Y. Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Smoking Cue Reactivity

scholarly journals Response learning confounds assays of inhibitory control on detour tasks

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayden O. van Horik ◽  
Christine E. Beardsworth ◽  
Philippa R. Laker ◽  
Mark A. Whiteside ◽  
Joah R. Madden
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Response Learning ◽  
Learning Aids ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
Transparent Barrier ◽  
Multiple Trials

AbstractThe ability to inhibit prepotent actions towards rewards that are made inaccessible by transparent barriers has been considered to reflect capacities for inhibitory control (IC). Typically, subjects initially reach directly, and incorrectly, for the reward. With experience, subjects may inhibit this action and instead detour around barriers to access the reward. However, assays of IC are often measured across multiple trials, with the location of the reward remaining constant. Consequently, other cognitive processes, such as response learning (acquisition of a motor routine), may confound accurate assays of IC. We measured baseline IC capacities in pheasant chicks, Phasianus colchicus, using a transparent cylinder task. Birds were then divided into two training treatments, where they learned to access a reward placed behind a transparent barrier, but experienced differential reinforcement of a particular motor response. In the stationary-barrier treatment, the location of the barrier remained constant across trials. We, therefore, reinforced a fixed motor response, such as always go left, which birds could learn to aid their performance. Conversely, we alternated the location of the barrier across trials for birds in the moving-barrier treatment and hence provided less reinforcement of their response learning. All birds then experienced a second presentation of the transparent cylinder task to assess whether differences in the training treatments influenced their subsequent capacities for IC. Birds in the stationary-barrier treatment showed a greater improvement in their subsequent IC performance after training compared to birds in the moving-barrier treatment. We, therefore, suggest that response learning aids IC performance on detour tasks. Consequently, non-target cognitive processes associated with different neural substrates appear to underlie performances on detour tasks, which may confound accurate assays of IC. Our findings question the construct validity of a commonly used paradigm that is widely considered to assess capacities for IC in humans and other animals.

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