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Erfanian Abdoust M, Froböse MI, Schnitzler A, Schreivogel E, Jocham G. Dopamine and acetylcholine have distinct roles in delay- and effort-based decision-making in humans. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002714. [PMID: 38995982 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
In everyday life, we encounter situations that require tradeoffs between potential rewards and associated costs, such as time and (physical) effort. The literature indicates a prominent role for dopamine in discounting of both delay and effort, with mixed findings for delay discounting in humans. Moreover, the reciprocal antagonistic interaction between dopaminergic and cholinergic transmission in the striatum suggests a potential opponent role of acetylcholine in these processes. We found opposing effects of dopamine D2 (haloperidol) and acetylcholine M1 receptor (biperiden) antagonism on specific components of effort-based decision-making in healthy humans: haloperidol decreased, whereas biperiden increased the willingness to exert physical effort. In contrast, delay discounting was reduced under haloperidol, but not affected by biperiden. Together, our data suggest that dopamine, acting at D2 receptors, modulates both effort and delay discounting, while acetylcholine, acting at M1 receptors, appears to exert a more specific influence on effort discounting only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mani Erfanian Abdoust
- Biological Psychology of Decision Making, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Monja Isabel Froböse
- Biological Psychology of Decision Making, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Schreivogel
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jocham
- Biological Psychology of Decision Making, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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2
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Bi R, Zhao Y, Li S, Xu F, Peng W, Tan S, Zhang D. Brain stimulation over the left DLPFC enhances motivation for effortful rewards in patients with major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 2024; 356:414-423. [PMID: 38640975 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amotivation is a typical feature in major depressive disorder (MDD), which produces reduced willingness to exert effort. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a crucial structure in goal-directed actions and therefore is a potential target in modulating effortful motivation. However, it remains unclear whether the intervention is effective for patients with MDD. METHODS We employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), computational modelling and event-related potentials (ERPs) to reveal the causal relationship between the left DLPFC and motivation for effortful rewards in MDD. Fifty patients underwent both active and sham TMS sessions, each followed by performing an Effort-Expenditure for Rewards Task, during which participants chose and implemented between low-effort/low-reward and high-effort/high-reward options. RESULTS The patients showed increased willingness to exert effort for rewards during the DLPFC facilitated session, compared with the sham session. They also had a trend in larger P3 amplitude for motivated attention toward chosen options, larger CNV during preparing for effort exertion, and larger SPN during anticipating a high reward. Besides, while behavior indexes for effortful choices were negatively related to depression severity in the sham session, this correlation was weakened in the active stimulation session. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide behavioral, computational, and neural evidence for the left DLPFC on effortful motivation for rewards. Facilitated DLPFC improves motor preparation and value anticipation after making decisions especially for highly effortful rewards in MDD. Facilitated DLPFC also has a potential function in enhancing motivated attention during cost-benefit trade-off. This neuromodulation effect provides a potential treatment for improving motivation in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Bi
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yanli Zhao
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing 100096, China
| | - Sijin Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Feng Xu
- Shenzhen Yingchi Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Weiwei Peng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Shuping Tan
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing 100096, China.
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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3
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Grohn J, Khalighinejad N, Jahn CI, Bongioanni A, Schüffelgen U, Sallet J, Rushworth MFS, Kolling N. General mechanisms of task engagement in the primate frontal cortex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4802. [PMID: 38839745 PMCID: PMC11153620 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49128-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Staying engaged is necessary to maintain goal-directed behaviors. Despite this, engagement exhibits continuous, intrinsic fluctuations. Even in experimental settings, animals, unlike most humans, repeatedly and spontaneously move between periods of complete task engagement and disengagement. We, therefore, looked at behavior in male macaques (macaca mulatta) in four tasks while recording fMRI signals. We identified consistent autocorrelation in task disengagement. This made it possible to build models capturing task-independent engagement. We identified task general patterns of neural activity linked to impending sudden task disengagement in mid-cingulate gyrus. By contrast, activity centered in perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) was associated with maintenance of performance across tasks. Importantly, we carefully controlled for task-specific factors such as the reward history and other motivational effects, such as response vigor, in our analyses. Moreover, we showed pgACC activity had a causal link to task engagement: transcranial ultrasound stimulation of pgACC changed task engagement patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Grohn
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Nima Khalighinejad
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Caroline I Jahn
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA
| | - Alessandro Bongioanni
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Urs Schüffelgen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jerome Sallet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 18 Avenue Doyen Lepine, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nils Kolling
- Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 18 Avenue Doyen Lepine, 69500, Bron, France
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Pôle EST, Bron, France
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4
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van der Schaaf ME, Geerligs L, Toni I, Knoop H, Oosterman JM. Disentangling pain and fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: a resting state connectivity study before and after cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1735-1748. [PMID: 38193344 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fatigue is a central feature of myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), but many ME/CFS patients also report comorbid pain symptoms. It remains unclear whether these symptoms are related to similar or dissociable brain networks. This study used resting-state fMRI to disentangle networks associated with fatigue and pain symptoms in ME/CFS patients, and to link changes in those networks to clinical improvements following cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). METHODS Relationships between pain and fatigue symptoms and cortico-cortical connectivity were assessed within ME/CFS patients at baseline (N = 72) and after CBT (N = 33) and waiting list (WL, N = 18) and compared to healthy controls (HC, N = 29). The analyses focused on four networks previously associated with pain and/or fatigue, i.e. the fronto-parietal network (FPN), premotor network (PMN), somatomotor network (SMN), and default mode network (DMN). RESULTS At baseline, variation in pain and fatigue symptoms related to partially dissociable brain networks. Fatigue was associated with higher SMN-PMN connectivity and lower SMN-DMN connectivity. Pain was associated with lower PMN-DMN connectivity. CBT improved SMN-DMN connectivity, compared to WL. Larger clinical improvements were associated with larger increases in frontal SMN-DMN connectivity. No CBT effects were observed for PMN-DMN or SMN-PMN connectivity. CONCLUSIONS These results provide insight into the dissociable neural mechanisms underlying fatigue and pain symptoms in ME/CFS and how they are affected by CBT in successfully treated patients. Further investigation of how and in whom behavioral and biomedical treatments affect these networks is warranted to improve and individualize existing or new treatments for ME/CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke E van der Schaaf
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of cognitive neuropsychology Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Linda Geerligs
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ivan Toni
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Knoop
- Department of Medical Psychology and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joukje M Oosterman
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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5
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Brassard SL, Liu H, Dosanjh J, MacKillop J, Balodis I. Neurobiological foundations and clinical relevance of effort-based decision-making. Brain Imaging Behav 2024:10.1007/s11682-024-00890-x. [PMID: 38819540 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-024-00890-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Applying effort-based decision-making tasks provides insights into specific variables influencing choice behaviors. The current review summarizes the structural and functional neuroanatomy of effort-based decision-making. Across 39 examined studies, the review highlights the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in forming reward-based predictions, the ventral striatum encoding expected subjective values driven by reward size, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex for monitoring choices to maximize rewards, and specific motor areas preparing for effort expenditure. Neuromodulation techniques, along with shifting environmental and internal states, are promising novel treatment interventions for altering neural alterations underlying decision-making. Our review further articulates the translational promise of this construct into the development, maintenance and treatment of psychiatric conditions, particularly those characterized by reward-, effort- and valuation-related deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Brassard
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Hanson Liu
- Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jadyn Dosanjh
- Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Iris Balodis
- Peter Boris Center for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
- Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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6
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Wang LL, Wang J, Liu BH, Tuo D, Lui SSY, Wan WQ, Huang J, Chan RCK. Neural substrates of the interaction between effort-expenditure reward decision-making and outcome anticipation. Behav Brain Res 2024; 466:114979. [PMID: 38582409 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reward anticipation is important for future decision-making, possibly due to re-evaluation of prior decisions. However, the exact relationship between reward anticipation and prior effort-expenditure decision-making, and its neural substrates are unknown. METHOD Thirty-three healthy participants underwent fMRI scanning while performing the Effort-based Pleasure Experience Task (E-pet). Participants were required to make effort-expenditure decisions and anticipate the reward. RESULTS We found that stronger anticipatory activation at the posterior cingulate cortex was correlated with slower reaction time while making decisions with a high-probability of reward. Moreover, the substantia nigra was significantly activated in the prior decision-making phase, and involved in reward-anticipation in view of its strengthened functional connectivity with the mammillary body and the putamen in trial conditions with a high probability of reward. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the role of reward anticipation in re-evaluating decisions based on the brain-behaviour correlation. Moreover, the study revealed the neural interaction between reward anticipation and decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Ling Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bing-Hui Liu
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Donghao Tuo
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Simon S Y Lui
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Wei-Qing Wan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tiantan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Huang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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7
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Wolpe N, Holton R, Fletcher PC. What Is Mental Effort: A Clinical Perspective. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)00065-9. [PMID: 38309319 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Although mental effort is a frequently used term, it is poorly defined and understood. Consequently, its usage is frequently loose and potentially misleading. In neuroscience research, the term is used to mean both the cognitive work that is done to meet task demands and the subjective experience of performing that work. We argue that conflating these two meanings hampers progress in understanding cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric conditions because cognitive work and the subjective experience of it have distinct underlying mechanisms. We suggest that the most coherent and clinically useful perspective on mental effort is that it is a subjective experience. This makes a clear distinction between cognitive impairments that arise from changes in the cognitive apparatus, as in dementia and brain injury, and those that arise from subjective difficulties in carrying out the cognitive work, as in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and other motivational disorders. We review recent advances in neuroscience research that suggests that the experience of effort has emerged to control task switches so as to minimize costs relative to benefits. We consider how these advances can contribute to our understanding of the experience of increased effort perception in clinical populations. This more specific framing of mental effort will offer a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive impairments in differing clinical groups and will ultimately facilitate better therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noham Wolpe
- Department of Physical Therapy, The Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard Holton
- Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Paul C Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Hoy CW, de Hemptinne C, Wang SS, Harmer CJ, Apps MAJ, Husain M, Starr PA, Little S. Beta and theta oscillations track effort and previous reward in human basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex during decision making. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.05.570285. [PMID: 38106063 PMCID: PMC10723308 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Choosing whether to exert effort to obtain rewards is fundamental to human motivated behavior. However, the neural dynamics underlying the evaluation of reward and effort in humans is poorly understood. Here, we investigate this with chronic intracranial recordings from prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basal ganglia (BG; subthalamic nuclei and globus pallidus) in people with Parkinson's disease performing a decision-making task with offers that varied in levels of reward and physical effort required. This revealed dissociable neural signatures of reward and effort, with BG beta (12-20 Hz) oscillations tracking subjective effort on a single trial basis and PFC theta (4-7 Hz) signaling previous trial reward. Stimulation of PFC increased overall acceptance of offers in addition to increasing the impact of reward on choices. This work uncovers oscillatory mechanisms that guide fundamental decisions to exert effort for reward across BG and PFC, as well as supporting a causal role of PFC for such choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin W. Hoy
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Coralie de Hemptinne
- Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sarah S. Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Mathew A. J. Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Masud Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip A. Starr
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Simon Little
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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9
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Bijleveld E. The ebb and flow of cognitive fatigue. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:1109-1110. [PMID: 37845173 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
If you are currently feeling tired, you are not alone: feelings of fatigue are incredibly common. In a recent study, Matthews et al. investigated moment-to-moment fluctuations in fatigue using behavioral experiments and computational modeling. The study offers a precise account of how fatigue waxes (during physical and cognitive effort) and wanes (during rest).
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Bijleveld
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, 6525GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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10
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Clairis N, Lopez-Persem A. Debates on the dorsomedial prefrontal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex: insights for future research. Brain 2023; 146:4826-4844. [PMID: 37530487 PMCID: PMC10690029 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dmPFC/dACC) is a brain area subject to many theories and debates over its function(s). Even its precise anatomical borders are subject to much controversy. In the past decades, the dmPFC/dACC has been associated with more than 15 different cognitive processes, which sometimes appear quite unrelated (e.g. body perception, cognitive conflict). As a result, understanding what the dmPFC/dACC does has become a real challenge for many neuroscientists. Several theories of this brain area's function(s) have been developed, leading to successive and competitive publications bearing different models, which sometimes contradict each other. During the last two decades, the lively scientific exchanges around the dmPFC/dACC have promoted fruitful research in cognitive neuroscience. In this review, we provide an overview of the anatomy of the dmPFC/dACC, summarize the state of the art of functions that have been associated with this brain area and present the main theories aiming at explaining the dmPFC/dACC function(s). We explore the commonalities and the arguments between the different theories. Finally, we explain what can be learned from these debates for future investigations of the dmPFC/dACC and other brain regions' functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Clairis
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC)- Brain Mind Institute (BMI)- Sciences de la Vie (SV), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alizée Lopez-Persem
- FrontLab, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Sorbonne University, AP HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
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11
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Dalléry R, Saleh Y, Manohar S, Husain M. Persistence of effort in apathy. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2023; 179:1047-1060. [PMID: 37451928 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The syndrome of apathy has generated increasing interest in recent years as systematic evaluations have revealed its high prevalence and strong negative impact on quality of life across a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. However, although several theoretical models have been proposed to account for various aspects of the condition, understanding of this syndrome is still incomplete. One influential model has proposed that apathy might be described as a quantitative reduction of goal-directed behaviour in comparison to an individual's prior level of functioning. Persistence of activity defined as the capacity to continue with a task - sometimes in the face of setbacks, high levels of difficulty or fatigue - is a crucial but understudied aspect of goal-directed behaviour. Surprisingly, it has not been investigated yet in the context of apathy. Here, we provide an overview of theoretical and experimental aspects of persistence in effort that might assist to develop methods for the investigation of persistence in human behaviour, particularly within the pathologic context of apathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Dalléry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Université Paris Sorbonne, Paris, France; Service de neurologie, centre de référence maladie de Huntington, hôpital Henri-Mondor-Albert-Chenevier, AP-HP, 94010 Créteil, France.
| | - Y Saleh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Department Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - S Manohar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - M Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Department Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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12
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Matthews J, Pisauro MA, Jurgelis M, Müller T, Vassena E, Chong TTJ, Apps MAJ. Computational mechanisms underlying the dynamics of physical and cognitive fatigue. Cognition 2023; 240:105603. [PMID: 37647742 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The willingness to exert effort for reward is essential but comes at the cost of fatigue. Theories suggest fatigue increases after both physical and cognitive exertion, subsequently reducing the motivation to exert effort. Yet a mechanistic understanding of how this happens on a moment-to-moment basis, and whether mechanisms are common to both mental and physical effort, is lacking. In two studies, participants reported momentary (trial-by-trial) ratings of fatigue during an effort-based decision-making task requiring either physical (grip-force) or cognitive (mental arithmetic) effort. Using a novel computational model, we show that fatigue fluctuates from trial-to-trial as a function of exerted effort and predicts subsequent choices. This mechanism was shared across the domains. Selective to the cognitive domain, committing errors also induced momentary increases in feelings of fatigue. These findings provide insight into the computations underlying the influence of effortful exertion on fatigue and motivation, in both physical and cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Matthews
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0106, Japan; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - M Andrea Pisauro
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mindaugas Jurgelis
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Tanja Müller
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eliana Vassena
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radbound University, Netherlands
| | - Trevor T-J Chong
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Christ Church, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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Saperia S, Felsky D, Da Silva S, Siddiqui I, Rector N, Remington G, Zakzanis KK, Foussias G. Modeling Effort-Based Decision Making: Individual Differences in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:1041-1049. [PMID: 37290745 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A critical facet of motivation is effort-based decision making, which refers to the mental processes involved in deciding whether a potential reward is worth the effort. To advance understanding of how individuals with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder utilize cost-benefit information to guide choice behavior, this study aimed to characterize individual differences in the computations associated with effort-based decision making. METHODS One hundred forty-five participants (51 with schizophrenia, 43 with depression, and 51 healthy control participants) completed the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task, with mixed effects modeling conducted to estimate the predictors of decision making. These model-derived, subject-specific coefficients were then clustered using k-means to test for the presence of discrete transdiagnostic subgroups with different profiles of reward, probability, and cost information utilization during effort-based decision making. RESULTS An optimal 2-cluster solution was identified, with no significant differences in the distribution of diagnostic groups between clusters. Cluster 1 (n = 76) was characterized by overall lower information utilization during decision making than cluster 2 (n = 61). Participants in this low information utilization cluster were also significantly older and more cognitively impaired, and their utilization of reward, probability, and cost was significantly correlated with clinical amotivation, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning. CONCLUSIONS Our findings revealed meaningful individual differences among participants with schizophrenia, depression, and healthy control participants in their utilization of cost-benefit information in the context of effortful decision making. These findings may provide insight into different processes associated with aberrant choice behavior and may potentially guide the identification of more individualized treatment targets for effort-based motivation deficits across disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Saperia
- Schizophrenia Division and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Felsky
- Schizophrenia Division and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susana Da Silva
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ishraq Siddiqui
- Schizophrenia Division and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Neil Rector
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gary Remington
- Schizophrenia Division and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - George Foussias
- Schizophrenia Division and Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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14
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Lim SL, Bruce AS, Shook RP. Neurocomputational mechanisms of food and physical activity decision-making in male adolescents. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6145. [PMID: 37061558 PMCID: PMC10105706 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32823-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We examined the neurocomputational mechanisms in which male adolescents make food and physical activity decisions and how those processes are influenced by body weight and physical activity levels. After physical activity and dietary assessments, thirty-eight males ages 14-18 completed the behavioral rating and fMRI decision tasks for food and physical activity items. The food and physical activity self-control decisions were significantly correlated with each other. In both, taste- or enjoyment-oriented processes were negatively associated with successful self-control decisions, while health-oriented processes were positively associated. The correlation between taste/enjoyment and healthy attribute ratings predicted actual laboratory food intake and physical activities (2-week activity monitoring). fMRI data showed the decision values of both food and activity are encoded in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, suggesting both decisions share common reward value-related circuits at the time of choice. Compared to the group with overweight/obese, the group with normal weight showed stronger brain activations in the cognitive control, multisensory integration, and motor control regions during physical activity decisions. For both food and physical activity, self-controlled decisions utilize similar computational and neurobiological mechanisms, which may provide insights into how to promote healthy food and physical activity decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Lark Lim
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5030 Cherry St, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA.
| | - Amanda S Bruce
- Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy, 610 E. 2nd St, Kansas City, MO, 66108, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Robin P Shook
- Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy, 610 E. 2nd St, Kansas City, MO, 66108, USA
- School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2411 Holmes, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA
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15
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Morris LS, Mehta M, Ahn C, Corniquel M, Verma G, Delman B, Hof PR, Jacob Y, Balchandani P, Murrough JW. Ventral tegmental area integrity measured with high-resolution 7-Tesla MRI relates to motivation across depression and anxiety diagnoses. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119704. [PMID: 36349598 PMCID: PMC9801251 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is one of the major sources of dopamine in the brain and has been associated with reward prediction, error-based reward learning, volitional drive and anhedonia. However, precise anatomical investigations of the VTA have been prevented by the use of standard-resolution MRI, reliance on subjective manual tracings, and lack of quantitative measures of dopamine-related signal. Here, we combine ultra-high field 400 µm3 quantitative MRI with dopamine-related signal mapping, and a mixture of machine learning and supervised computational techniques to delineate the VTA in a transdiagnostic sample of subjects with and without depression and anxiety disorders. Subjects also underwent cognitive testing to measure intrinsic and extrinsic motivational tone. Fifty-one subjects were scanned in total, including healthy control (HC) and mood/anxiety (MA) disorder subjects. MA subjects had significantly larger VTA volumes compared to HC but significantly lower signal intensity within VTA compared to HC, indicating reduced structural integrity of the dopaminergic VTA. Interestingly, while VTA integrity did not significantly correlate with self-reported depression or anxiety symptoms, it was correlated with an objective cognitive measure of extrinsic motivation, whereby lower VTA integrity was associated with lower motivation. This is the first study to demonstrate a computational pipeline for detecting and delineating the VTA in human subjects with 400 μm3 resolution. We highlight the use of objective transdiagnostic measures of cognitive function that link neural integrity to behavior across clinical and non-clinical groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S Morris
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
| | - Marishka Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Christopher Ahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Morgan Corniquel
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Gaurav Verma
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Bradley Delman
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Yael Jacob
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Priti Balchandani
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - James W Murrough
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
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16
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Preferences for seeking effort or reward information bias the willingness to work. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19486. [PMID: 36376340 PMCID: PMC9663561 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21917-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Research suggests that the temporal order in which people receive information about costs and benefits whilst making decisions can influence their choices. But, do people have a preference for seeking information about costs or benefits when making effort-based decisions, and does this impact motivation? Here, participants made choices about whether to exert different levels of physical effort to obtain different magnitudes of reward, or rest for low reward. Prior to each effort-based choice, they also had to decide which information they wanted to see first: how much physical effort would be required, or how large the reward would be. We found no overall preference for seeking reward or effort information first, but motivation did change when people saw reward or effort information first. Seeking effort information first, both someone's average tendency to do so and their choice to see effort first on a given trial, was associated with reductions in the willingness to exert higher effort. Moreover, the tendency to prefer effort information first was associated with reduced vigorous exercise and higher levels of fatigue in everyday life. These findings highlight that preferences for seeking effort information may be a bias that reduces people's willingness to exert effort in the lab and in everyday life.
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17
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Lockwood PL, Wittmann MK, Nili H, Matsumoto-Ryan M, Abdurahman A, Cutler J, Husain M, Apps MAJ. Distinct neural representations for prosocial and self-benefiting effort. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4172-4185.e7. [PMID: 36029773 PMCID: PMC9616728 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Prosocial behaviors-actions that benefit others-are central to individual and societal well-being. Although the mechanisms underlying the financial and moral costs of prosocial behaviors are increasingly understood, this work has often ignored a key influence on behavior: effort. Many prosocial acts are effortful, and people are averse to the costs of exerting them. However, how the brain encodes effort costs when actions benefit others is unknown. During fMRI, participants completed a decision-making task where they chose in each trial whether to "work" and exert force (30%-70% of maximum grip strength) or "rest" (no effort) for rewards (2-10 credits). Crucially, on separate trials, they made these decisions either to benefit another person or themselves. We used a combination of multivariate representational similarity analysis and model-based univariate analysis to reveal how the costs of prosocial and self-benefiting efforts are processed. Strikingly, we identified a unique neural signature of effort in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACCg) for prosocial acts, both when choosing to help others and when exerting force to benefit them. This pattern was absent for self-benefiting behaviors. Moreover, stronger, specific representations of prosocial effort in the ACCg were linked to higher levels of empathy and higher subsequent exerted force to benefit others. In contrast, the ventral tegmental area and ventral insula represented value preferentially when choosing for oneself and not for prosocial acts. These findings advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms of prosocial behavior, highlighting the critical role that effort has in the brain circuits that guide helping others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, FMRIB Building, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Christ Church, University of Oxford, St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK.
| | - Marco K Wittmann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, FMRIB Building, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, Russell Square House 10-12 Russell Square, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Hamed Nili
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, FMRIB Building, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mona Matsumoto-Ryan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Ayat Abdurahman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, FMRIB Building, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jo Cutler
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Masud Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Christ Church, University of Oxford, St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK
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18
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Zhang P, Yan J, Liu Z, Yu H, Zhao R, Zhou Q. Extreme conditions affect neuronal oscillations of cerebral cortices in humans in the China Space Station and on Earth. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1041. [PMID: 36180522 PMCID: PMC9525319 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04018-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmical oscillations of neural populations can reflect working memory performance. However, whether neuronal oscillations of the cerebral cortex change in extreme environments, especially in a space station, remains unclear. Here, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals when volunteers and astronauts were executing a memory task in extreme working conditions. Our experiments showed that two extreme conditions affect neuronal oscillations of the cerebral cortex and manifest in different ways. Lengthy periods of mental work impairs the gating mechanism formed by theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling of two cortical areas, and sleep deprivation disrupts synaptic homeostasis, as reflected by the substantial increase in theta wave activity in the cortical frontal-central area. In addition, we excluded the possibility that nutritional supply or psychological situations caused decoupled theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling or an imbalance in theta wave activity increase. Therefore, we speculate that the decoupled theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling detected in astronauts results from their lengthy periods of mental work in the China Space Station. Furthermore, comparing preflight and inflight experiments, we find that long-term spaceflight and other hazards in the space station could worsen this decoupling evolution. This particular neuronal oscillation mechanism in the cerebral cortex could guide countermeasures for the inadaptability of humans working in spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Juan Yan
- grid.198530.60000 0000 8803 2373China CDC Key Laboratory of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Emergency, National Institute for Radiological Protection, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Zhongqi Liu
- grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Hongqiang Yu
- grid.418516.f0000 0004 1791 7464China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Rui Zhao
- grid.418516.f0000 0004 1791 7464China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Qianxiang Zhou
- grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.64939.310000 0000 9999 1211Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China
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19
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Liu K, Yu Y, Zeng LL, Liang X, Liu Y, Chu X, Lu G, Zhou Z. Effects of Low Mental Energy from Long Periods of Work on Brain-Computer Interfaces. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12091152. [PMID: 36138888 PMCID: PMC9497083 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12091152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide novel hands-free interaction strategies. However, the performance of BCIs is affected by the user’s mental energy to some extent. In this study, we aimed to analyze the combined effects of decreased mental energy and lack of sleep on BCI performance and how to reduce these effects. We defined the low-mental-energy (LME) condition as a combined condition of decreased mental energy and lack of sleep. We used a long period of work (>=18 h) to induce the LME condition, and then P300- and SSVEP-based BCI tasks were conducted in LME or normal conditions. Ten subjects were recruited in this study. Each subject participated in the LME- and normal-condition experiments within one week. For the P300-based BCI, we used two decoding algorithms: stepwise linear discriminant (SWLDA) and least square regression (LSR). For the SSVEP-based BCI, we used two decoding algorithms: canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and filter bank canonical correlation analysis (FBCCA). Accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR) were used as performance metrics. The experimental results showed that for the P300-based BCI, the average accuracy was reduced by approximately 35% (with a SWLDA classifier) and approximately 40% (with a LSR classifier); the average ITR was reduced by approximately 6 bits/min (with a SWLDA classifier) and approximately 7 bits/min (with an LSR classifier). For the SSVEP-based BCI, the average accuracy was reduced by approximately 40% (with a CCA classifier) and approximately 40% (with a FBCCA classifier); the average ITR was reduced by approximately 20 bits/min (with a CCA classifier) and approximately 19 bits/min (with a FBCCA classifier). Additionally, the amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio of the evoked electroencephalogram signals were lower in the LME condition, while the degree of fatigue and the task load of each subject were higher. Further experiments suggested that increasing stimulus size, flash duration, and flash number could improve BCI performance in LME conditions to some extent. Our experiments showed that the LME condition reduced BCI performance, the effects of LME on BCI did not rely on specific BCI types and specific decoding algorithms, and optimizing BCI parameters (e.g., stimulus size) can reduce these effects.
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20
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Scholey E, Apps MAJ. Fatigue: Tough days at work change your prefrontal metabolites. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R876-R879. [PMID: 35998595 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
New measurements of the metabolite and neurotransmitter glutamate in prefrontal cortex after a day of hard work indicate that it may be a brain marker of mental fatigue, re-energising searches for the biological roots of fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Scholey
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Christ Church, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK.
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21
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Morris LS, Grehl MM, Rutter SB, Mehta M, Westwater ML. On what motivates us: a detailed review of intrinsic v. extrinsic motivation. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1801-1816. [PMID: 35796023 PMCID: PMC9340849 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722001611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Motivational processes underlie behaviors that enrich the human experience, and impairments in motivation are commonly observed in psychiatric illness. While motivated behavior is often examined with respect to extrinsic reinforcers, not all actions are driven by reactions to external stimuli; some are driven by 'intrinsic' motivation. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are computationally similar to extrinsically motivated behaviors, in that they strive to maximize reward value and minimize punishment. However, our understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie intrinsically motivated behavior remains limited. Dysfunction in intrinsic motivation represents an important trans-diagnostic facet of psychiatric symptomology, but due to a lack of clear consensus, the contribution of intrinsic motivation to psychopathology remains poorly understood. This review aims to provide an overview of the conceptualization, measurement, and neurobiology of intrinsic motivation, providing a framework for understanding its potential contributions to psychopathology and its treatment. Distinctions between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are discussed, including divergence in the types of associated rewards or outcomes that drive behavioral action and choice. A useful framework for understanding intrinsic motivation, and thus separating it from extrinsic motivation, is developed and suggestions for optimization of paradigms to measure intrinsic motivation are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S. Morris
- Department of Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Mora M. Grehl
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Sarah B. Rutter
- Department of Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Marishka Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Margaret L. Westwater
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
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22
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Zhang T, Nishitani N, Niitani K, Nishida R, Futami Y, Deyama S, Kaneda K. A spatiotemporal increase of neuronal activity accompanies the motivational effect of wheel running in mice. Behav Brain Res 2022; 432:113981. [PMID: 35777550 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal activity underlying the motivational effect of rotating running wheels (RWs) in rodents remain largely undetermined. Here, we investigated changes of neuronal activity among brain regions associated with motivation across different intensities of motivation for RWs in mice. Daily exposure to RWs gradually increased rotation number, then became stable after approximately 3 weeks. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the number of c-Fos (a neuronal activity marker)-positive cells increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), core and shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (Str), and lateral septum (LS) at day 1, day 9, and days 20-24, in a time-dependent manner. Additionally, despite exposure to locked RWs for over 7 days after establishing stable rotation with 3-week RW access, increased c-Fos expression was still observed in most of these brain areas. Furthermore, daily overnight RW access developed stable rotation by day 6, with high and low rotation numbers at the start and end of the overnight session, respectively. The number of c-Fos-positive cells at the start of RW rotation was significantly higher than at the end of RW rotation in most brain regions. Furthermore, after establishing stable rotation, the number of c-Fos-positive cells increased in the mPFC and shell of the NAc of mice that only observed RWs. These findings suggest that the subareas of the mPFC and NAc may be critically involved in the motivational effects of RW rotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Naoya Nishitani
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kazuhei Niitani
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Ryoma Nishida
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Yusaku Futami
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Satoshi Deyama
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Katsuyuki Kaneda
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
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23
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Toro-Serey C, Kane GA, McGuire JT. Choices favoring cognitive effort in a foraging environment decrease when multiple forms of effort and delay are interleaved. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:509-532. [PMID: 34850362 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00972-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive and physical effort are typically regarded as costly, but demands for effort also seemingly boost the appeal of prospects under certain conditions. One contextual factor that might influence choices for or against effort is the mix of different types of demand a decision maker encounters in a given environment. In two foraging experiments, participants encountered prospective rewards that required equally long intervals of cognitive effort, physical effort, or unfilled delay. Monetary offers varied per trial, and the two experiments differed in whether the type of effort or delay cost was the same on every trial, or varied across trials. When each participant faced only one type of cost, cognitive effort persistently produced the highest acceptance rate compared to trials with an equivalent period of either physical effort or unfilled delay. We theorized that if cognitive effort were intrinsically rewarding, we would observe the same pattern of preferences when participants foraged for varying cost types in addition to rewards. Contrary to this prediction, in the second experiment, an initially higher acceptance rate for cognitive effort trials disappeared over time amid an overall decline in acceptance rates as participants gained experience with all three conditions. Our results indicate that cognitive demands may reduce the discounting effect of delays, but not because decision makers assign intrinsic value to cognitive effort. Rather, the results suggest that a cognitive effort requirement might influence contextual factors such as subjective delay duration estimates, which can be recalibrated if multiple forms of demand are interleaved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Toro-Serey
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
- McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill St., MRC 3, MA, 02478, Belmont, USA.
| | - Gary A Kane
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 677 Bacon St., Rm 212, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Joseph T McGuire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 677 Bacon St., Rm 212, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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Kok A. Cognitive control, motivation and fatigue: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Brain Cogn 2022; 160:105880. [PMID: 35617813 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2022.105880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The present article provides a unified systematic account of the role of cognitive control, motivation and dopamine pathways in relation to the development of fatigue. Since cognitive fatigue is considered to be one aspect of the general control system that manages goal activity in the service of motivational requirements (Hockey, 2011), our focus is also broader than fatigue itself. The paper shall therefore first focus on the motivation-control interactions at the level of networks of the brain. A motivational control network is argued to play a critical role in shaping goal-directed behavior, in conjunction with dopamine systems that energize the network. Furthermore, motivation-control interactions as implemented in networks of the brain provide an important element to elucidate how decision making weighs both the anticipated benefits and costs of control operations, in optimal and suboptimal conditions such as mental fatigue. The paper further sketches how fatigue affects the connectivity of large-scale networks in the brain during effortful exercition, in particular the high-cost long striatal-cortical pathways, leading to a global reduction of integration in the brain's network architecture. The resulting neural state within these networks then enters as interoceptive information to systems in the brain that perform cost-benefit calculations. Based on these notions we propose a unifying cost-benefit model, inspired by influential insights from the current neuroscience literature of how fatigue changes the motivation to perform. The model specifies how the reward value, effort costs and fatigue aspects of task performance converge in the medial prefrontal cortex to calculate the net motivation value of stimuli and select the appropriate actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Kok
- Emeritus Professor Physiological Psychology, Brain and Cognition Group, Psychology Department, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Noradrenergic deficits contribute to apathy in Parkinson's disease through the precision of expected outcomes. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010079. [PMID: 35533200 PMCID: PMC9119485 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Apathy is a debilitating feature of many neuropsychiatric diseases, that is typically described as a reduction of goal-directed behaviour. Despite its prevalence and prognostic importance, the mechanisms underlying apathy remain controversial. Degeneration of the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system is known to contribute to motivational deficits, including apathy. In healthy people, noradrenaline has been implicated in signalling the uncertainty of expectations about the environment. We proposed that noradrenergic deficits contribute to apathy by modulating the relative weighting of prior beliefs about action outcomes. We tested this hypothesis in the clinical context of Parkinson’s disease, given its associations with apathy and noradrenergic dysfunction. Participants with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease (N = 17) completed a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with 40 mg of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine. Prior weighting was inferred from psychophysical analysis of performance in an effort-based visuomotor task, and was confirmed as negatively correlated with apathy. Locus coeruleus integrity was assessed in vivo using magnetisation transfer imaging at ultra-high field 7T. The effect of atomoxetine depended on locus coeruleus integrity: participants with a more degenerate locus coeruleus showed a greater increase in prior weighting on atomoxetine versus placebo. The results indicate a contribution of the noradrenergic system to apathy and potential benefit from noradrenergic treatment of people with Parkinson’s disease, subject to stratification according to locus coeruleus integrity. More broadly, these results reconcile emerging predictive processing accounts of the role of noradrenaline in goal-directed behaviour with the clinical symptom of apathy and its potential pharmacological treatment. Apathy is a common and harmful consequence of many neuropsychiatric diseases. Its underlying causes are not fully understood, which prevents the development of new treatments. We approach the problem in a new way, modelling human behaviour in terms of the continuously updated interaction between sensory information and brain-based predictions or ‘priors’ about the consequences of our actions. We have previously shown that apathy is related to a loss of precision of these ‘priors’. We proposed that the precision is controlled by noradrenaline (like adrenaline, but made in the brain). We tested whether the noradrenaline-enhancing drug called atomoxetine can restore the priors’ precision in apathetic people. We enrolled participants with Parkinson’s disease, which is associated with both apathy and noradrenaline loss. We used ultra-high field MRI to measure individual differences in the integrity of specialist region called the locus coeruleus–the brain’s source of noradrenaline. We found that the effect of treatment with atomoxetine on prior precision depended on locus coeruleus integrity: Participants with a degenerated locus coeruleus had a more positive change in prior precision. Our results highlight how individual differences in neuroanatomy can predict the potential benefit of noradrenaline treatments in people suffering from apathy.
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Bruijel J, Quaedflieg CWEM, Otto T, van de Ven V, Stapert SZ, van Heugten C, Vermeeren A. Task-induced subjective fatigue and resting-state striatal connectivity following traumatic brain injury. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 33:102936. [PMID: 35007852 PMCID: PMC8749448 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Fatigue is a very frequent and disabling symptom in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Effects of task-induced fatigue on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). Striatal rsFC relates differently to subjective fatigue in TBI compared to controls. Default mode network rsFC relates similar to subjective fatigue in TBI and controls.
Background People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience fatigue, but an understanding of the neural underpinnings of fatigue following TBI is still lacking. This study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine associations between functional connectivity (FC) changes and task-induced changes in subjective fatigue in people with moderate-severe TBI. Methods Sixteen people with moderate-severe TBI and 17 matched healthy controls (HC) performed an adaptive N-back task (working memory task) to induce cognitive fatigue. Before and after the task they rated their state fatigue level and underwent rs-fMRI. Seed-to-voxel analyses with seeds in areas involved in cognitive fatigue, namely the striatum and default mode network (DMN) including, medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, were performed. Results The adaptive N-back task was effective in inducing fatigue in both groups. Subjective task-induced fatigue was positively associated with FC between striatum and precuneus in people with TBI, while there was a negative association in HC. In contrast, subjective task-induced fatigue was negatively associated with FC between striatum and cerebellum in the TBI group, while there was no association in HC. Similar associations between task-induced subjective fatigue and DMN FC were found across the groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that the subjective experience of fatigue was linked to DMN connectivity in both groups and was differently associated with striatal connectivity in people with moderate-severe TBI compared to HC. Defining fatigue-induced neuronal network changes is pertinent to the development of treatments that target abnormal neuronal activity after TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Bruijel
- Dept of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Limburg Brain Injury Centre, Limburg, the Netherlands.
| | - C W E M Quaedflieg
- Dept of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - T Otto
- Dept of Work and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - V van de Ven
- Dept of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - S Z Stapert
- Dept of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Limburg Brain Injury Centre, Limburg, the Netherlands; Dept of Medical Psychology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands
| | - C van Heugten
- Dept of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Limburg Brain Injury Centre, Limburg, the Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Dept of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - A Vermeeren
- Dept of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Jurgelis M, Boardman JM, Coxon JP, Drummond SPA, Chong TTJ. Sleep Restriction Reduces Cognitive but Not Physical Motivation. Nat Sci Sleep 2022; 14:2001-2012. [PMID: 36394069 PMCID: PMC9642807 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s368335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Motivation is an important driver of behaviour, and several frameworks distinguish the willingness of individuals to invest cognitive versus physical effort to achieve a goal. One outstanding question is whether sleep loss lowers motivation within specific domains of effort, or has a global effect on motivation across multiple domains. Here, we investigated the effects of sleep restriction on the motivation to invest cognitive or physical effort in return for reward. MATERIALS AND METHODS 24 healthy young adults (11 females) completed an effort-based decision-making task over two laboratory sessions - once while sleep restricted (three consecutive nights with a three-hour sleep opportunity), and the other while fully rested (nine-hour sleep opportunity on each night). In an initial reinforcement phase, participants were trained to ceiling performance across six levels of effort on separate cognitively and physically demanding tasks. Then, in the critical decision-making phase, participants revealed their preference for how much cognitive or physical effort they would be willing to invest for reward. RESULTS Sleep restriction reduced the willingness to exert cognitive effort, but spared motivation in the physical domain. Furthermore, the reduction in cognitive motivation appeared to be a primary motivational deficit, which could not be attributed to differences in reward-likelihood of different levels of effort or the temporal structure of the task. CONCLUSION The results suggest that sleep restriction has a selective effect on cognitive over physical motivation, which has significant implications for real-world settings in which individuals must maintain high levels of cognitive motivation in the face of chronic sleep loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mindaugas Jurgelis
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Johanna M Boardman
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - James P Coxon
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Sean P A Drummond
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Trevor T J Chong
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, 3065, Australia
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Heightened effort discounting is a common feature of both apathy and fatigue. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22283. [PMID: 34782630 PMCID: PMC8593117 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01287-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Apathy and fatigue have distinct aetiologies, yet can manifest in phenotypically similar ways. In particular, each can give rise to diminished goal-directed behaviour, which is often cited as a key characteristic of both traits. An important issue therefore is whether currently available approaches are capable of distinguishing between them. Here, we examined the relationship between commonly administered inventories of apathy and fatigue, and a measure of goal-directed activity that assesses the motivation to engage in effortful behaviour. 103 healthy adults completed self-report inventories on apathy (the Dimensional Apathy Scale), and fatigue (the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and/or Modified Fatigue Impact Scale). In addition, all participants performed an effort discounting task, in which they made choices about their willingness to engage in physically effortful activity. Importantly, self-report ratings of apathy and fatigue were strongly correlated, suggesting that these inventories were insensitive to the fundamental differences between the two traits. Furthermore, greater effort discounting was strongly associated with higher ratings across all inventories, suggesting that a common feature of both traits is a lower motivation to engage in effortful behaviour. These results have significant implications for the assessment of both apathy and fatigue, particularly in clinical groups in which they commonly co-exist.
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