scholarly journals Sex differences in neural responses to reward and the influences of individual reward and punishment sensitivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isha Dhingra ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
Simon Zhornitsky ◽  
Wuyi Wang ◽  
Thang M. Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Impact Behavior ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Punishment Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Abstract Background Men and women show differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment, which may impact behavior in health and disease. However, the neural bases of these sex differences remain under-investigated. Here, by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a variant of the Monetary Incentive Delay Task (MIDT), we examined sex differences in the neural responses to wins and losses and how individual reward and punishment sensitivity modulates these regional activities. Methods Thirty-sex men and 27 women participated in the fMRI study. We assessed sensitivity to punishment (SP) and sensitivity to reward (SR) with the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). In the MIDT, participants pressed a button to collect reward ($1, 1¢, or nil), with the reaction time window titrated across trials so participants achieved a success rate of approximately 67%. We processed the Imaging data with published routines and evaluated the results with a corrected threshold. Results Women showed higher SP score than men and men showed higher SR score than women. Men relative to women showed higher response to the receipt of dollar or cent reward in bilateral orbitofrontal and visual cortex. Men as compared to women also showed higher response to dollar loss in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex. Further, in whole-brain regressions, women relative to men demonstrated more significant modulation by SP in the neural responses to wins and larger wins, and the sex differences were confirmed by slope tests. Conclusions Together, men showed higher SR and neural sensitivity to both wins, large or small, and losses than women. Individual differences in SP were associated with diminished neural responses to wins and larger wins in women only. These findings highlight how men and women may differ in reward-related brain activations in the MIDT and add to the imaging literature of sex differences in cognitive and affective functions.

scholarly journals Men Show Higher Neural Sensitivity to Wins – Large or Small – than Women in the Monetary Incentive Delay Task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isha Dhingra ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
Simon Zhornitsky ◽  
Wuyi Wang ◽  
Thang M Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Monetary Incentive ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Delay Task ◽  
Slope Test ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay Task ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Abstract Background Men and women show differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment, which may impact behavior in health and disease. However, the neural bases of these sex differences remain under-investigated. Here, by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a Monetary Incentive Delay Task (MIDT), we examined sex differences in the neural responses to monetary wins and losses and how these regional activities vary with individual reward and punishment sensitivity. Methods Sixty-three healthy adults (27 women) participated in the fMRI study with a 3-Tesla scanner. Sensitivity to punishment (SP) and sensitivity to reward (SR) were assessed with the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). In the MIDT, participants pressed a button to collect either $1, 1¢, or nil, with the reaction time window titrated across trials to achieve ~67% success. Imaging data were processed with published routines and evaluated with a corrected threshold. Results The results showed higher SP score in women vs. men and higher SR score in men vs. women. Compared to women, men also showed higher response to the receipt of dollar or cent reward in the medial prefrontal cortex, in the area of the supplementary motor cortex. Regional responses to loss did not show sex differences. Further, in a whole-brain regression, activation of the caudate head during 1¢ loss was correlated positively with SR score in men but not in women, and the sex difference was confirmed by a slope test. Conclusions Together, men showed higher SR and neural sensitivity to the receipt of reward, big or small, than women. Individual differences in SR could be reflected by caudate response to a small loss in men. These findings highlight how men and women may differ in reward-related brain activations in the MIDT and add to the imaging literature of sex differences in cognitive and affective functions.

scholarly journals Reward and Punishment Sensitivity in Borderline and Avoidant Personality Disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Kathy R. Berenson ◽  
Sarah M. Van De Weert ◽  
Stella Nicolaou ◽  
Cindy Campoverde ◽  
Eshkol Rafaeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Avoidant Personality Disorder ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Punishment Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment ◽  
Probabilistic Reversal Learning ◽  
Reward And Punishment

The authors compared self-reported and behavioral responses to reward and punishment in individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or avoidant personality disorder (APD) relative to a healthy comparison (HC) group. As predicted, self-reported sensitivity to reward was significantly higher in the BPD group than in the APD and HC groups. Also as predicted, self-reported sensitivity to punishment was significantly elevated in both disordered groups but significantly higher in APD than in BPD. These hypothesized patterns were also evident in responses to behavioral tasks: Participants with BPD made more errors of commission and fewer errors of omission than HC participants on a passive avoidance learning task, and participants with APD showed greater reactivity to losses than other participants on a probabilistic reversal learning task. Results help characterize differences between these two disorders.

scholarly journals Sex differences in pubertal associations with fronto-accumbal white matter morphometry: Implications for understanding sensitivity to reward and punishment

NeuroImage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 226 ◽  
pp. 117598
Author(s):  
Rajpreet Chahal ◽  
Kristen Delevich ◽  
Jaclyn S. Kirshenbaum ◽  
Lauren R. Borchers ◽  
Tiffany C. Ho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Associations between sensitivity to punishment, sensitivity to reward, and gambling

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 180-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raluca M. Gaher ◽  
Austin M. Hahn ◽  
Hanako Shishido ◽  
Jeffrey S. Simons ◽  
Sam Gaster
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Punishment Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment

Sensitivity to reward and punishment: Associations with fat and sugar intake among South African students

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-232
Author(s):  
Xanthe Hunt ◽  
Angelic Nespola ◽  
Katy Tapper ◽  
Ashraf Kagee
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
African Students ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Sugar Intake ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment ◽  
Higher Sensitivity ◽  
Reward And Punishment

This study examined whether higher sensitivity to reward predicted higher fat and sugar intake among a sample of South African students at a university in the Western Cape and explored whether this relationship was mediated by food cue responsivity. It also examined whether sensitivity to punishment predicted higher fat and sugar intake among those who eat in response to anxiety. University students ( n = 320) completed a series of questionnaires that measured sensitivity to reward and punishment, diet, their tendency towards hedonic eating, and their tendency towards eating in response to anxiety. Results showed that higher sensitivity to reward predicted higher fat intake. This relationship was partially mediated by eating in response to food-rich environments (hedonic eating). Sensitivity to punishment failed to predict diet. The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence showing a relationship between sensitivity to reward and eating behaviours, and how this relationship might play out in a university environment.

scholarly journals Are Sensitivity to Punishment, Sensitivity to Reward and Effortful Control Transdiagnostic Mechanisms Underlying the Eating Disorder/Obesity Spectrum?

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3327
Author(s):  
Laurence Claes ◽  
Glenn Kiekens ◽  
Els Boekaerts ◽  
Lies Depestele ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Binge Eating ◽  
Effortful Control ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Punishment Sensitivity ◽  
Sensitivity To Punishment

Although it has been postulated that eating disorders (EDs) and obesity form part of a broad spectrum of eating- and weight-related disorders, this has not yet been tested empirically. In the present study, we investigated interindividual differences in sensitivity to punishment, sensitivity to reward, and effortful control along the ED/obesity spectrum in women. We used data on 286 patients with eating disorders (44.6% AN-R, 24.12% AN-BP, and 31.82% BN), 126 healthy controls, and 640 Class II/III obese bariatric patients (32.81% Class II and 67.19% Class III) with and without binge eating. Participants completed the behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation scales, as well as the effortful control scale, to assess sensitivity to punishment and reward and effortful control. Results showed that patients with EDs scored significantly higher on punishment sensitivity (anxiety) compared to healthy controls and Class II/III obese patients; the different groups did not differ significantly on reward sensitivity. Patients with binge eating or compensatory behaviors scored significantly lower on effortful control than patients without binge eating. Differences in temperamental profiles along the ED/obesity spectrum appear continuous and gradual rather than categorical. This implies that it may be meaningful to include emotion regulation and impulse regulation training in the treatment of both EDs and obesity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document