An electrophysiological monetary incentive delay (e-MID) task: a way to decompose the different components of neural response to positive and negative monetary reinforcement.

The ability to anticipate and then secure future rewards and avoid future punishments by responding effectively to environmental demands is at the core of successful decision making. Disruptions to these processes have been shown to be implicated in a number of psychiatric conditions. In the current paper we use the electrophysiological monetary incentive delay task (e-MID) to decompose the neural response to (i) reinforcement anticipation, (ii) reinforcement-contingent target processing and (iii) reinforcement-related feedback. Thirty-eight adolescents and young adults performed an ERP-based analogue of the monetary incentive delay task. ERP components previously associated with motivationally salient cue (cue-P3 and contingent negative variation, CNV), target (P3) and feedback (success vs. failure; feedback-related negativity; FRN and the late positive potential; LPP) stimuli were examined. Response times were shorter and less variable in the monetary gain and loss conditions. Distinctive ERP components were observed for each phase of reinforcement processing. First, cue-P3 was enhanced to monetary gain cues. Predicted alterations in cue-P3 following monetary loss cues and the CNV following cues of either monetary loss or gain were not observed. Target P3 was enhanced in both incentive conditions. The FRN was greater following monetary loss feedback. LPP amplitude was enhanced following feedback denoting monetary gain and the avoidance of monetary loss. Although behaviourally the effects of monetary loss and gain were similar, the e-MID task differentiated neural processing in terms of anticipation and feedback-related brain potentials. The e-MID task and the results of the current study provide a valuable complement to fMRI-based approaches to studying normal and abnormal brain correlates of reinforcement processing.

Broyd SJ ，Richards HJ ，Helps SK ，Chronaki G ，Bamford S ，Sonuga-Barke EJ ... -  《-》

Teasing apart the anticipatory and consummatory processing of monetary incentives: An event-related potential study of reward dynamics.

The monetary incentive delay (MID) task has been widely used in fMRI studies to investigate the neural networks involved in anticipatory and consummatory reward processing. Previous efforts to adapt the MID task for use with ERPs, however, have had limited success. Here, we sought to further decompose reward dynamics using a comprehensive set of anticipatory (cue-N2, cue-P3, contingent negative variation [CNV]) and consummatory ERPs (feedback negativity [FN], feedback P3 [fb-P3]). ERP data was recorded during adapted versions of the MID task across two experiments. Unlike previous studies, monetary incentive cues modulated the cue-N2, cue-P3, and CNV; however, cue-related ERPs and the CNV were uncorrelated with one another, indicating distinct anticipatory subprocesses. With regard to consummatory processing, FN amplitude primarily tracked outcome valence (reward vs. nonreward), whereas fb-P3 amplitude primarily tracked outcome salience (uncertain vs. certain). Independent modulation of the cue-P3 and fb-P3 was observed, indicating that these two P3 responses may uniquely capture the allocation of attention during anticipatory and consummatory reward processing, respectively. Overall, across two samples, consistent evidence of both anticipatory and consummatory ERP activity was observed on an adapted version of the MID paradigm, demonstrating for the first time how these ERP components may be integrated with one another to more fully characterize the time course of reward processing. This ERP-MID paradigm is well suited to parsing reward dynamics, and can be applied to both healthy and clinical populations.

Novak KD ，Foti D 《-》

Electrocortical components of anticipation and consumption in a monetary incentive delay task.

In order to improve our understanding of the components that reflect functionally important processes during reward anticipation and consumption, we used principle components analyses (PCA) to separate and quantify averaged ERP data obtained from each stage of a modified monetary incentive delay (MID) task. Although a small number of recent ERP studies have reported that reward and loss cues potentiate ERPs during anticipation, action preparation, and consummatory stages of reward processing, these findings are inconsistent due to temporal and spatial overlap between the relevant electrophysiological components. Our results show three components following cue presentation are sensitive to incentive cues (N1, P3a, P3b). In contrast to previous research, reward-related enhancement occurred only in the P3b, with earlier components more sensitive to break-even and loss cues. During feedback anticipation, we observed a lateralized centroparietal negativity that was sensitive to response hand but not cue type. We also show that use of PCA on ERPs reflecting reward consumption successfully separates the reward positivity from the independently modulated feedback-P3. Last, we observe for the first time a new reward consumption component: a late negativity distributed over the left frontal pole. This component appears to be sensitive to response hand, especially in the context of monetary gain. These results illustrate that the time course and sensitivities of electrophysiological activity that follows incentive cues do not follow a simple heuristic in which reward incentive cues produce enhanced activity at all stages and substages.

Angus DJ ，Latham AJ ，Harmon-Jones E ，Deliano M ，Balleine B ，Braddon-Mitchell D ... -  《-》

Temporal dynamics of reward anticipation in the human brain.

Reward anticipation is a complex process including cue evaluation, motor preparation, and feedback anticipation. The present study investigated whether these psychological processes were dissociable on neural dynamics in terms of incentive valence and approach motivation. We recorded EEG when participants were performing a monetary incentive delay task, and found a cue-P3 during the cue-evaluation stage, a contingent negative variation (CNV) during the motor-preparation stage, and a stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) during the feedback-anticipation stage. Critically, both the cue-P3 and SPN exhibited an enhanced sensitivity to gain versus loss anticipation, which was not observed for the CNV. Moreover, both the cue-P3 and SPN, instead of the CNV, for gain anticipation selectively predicted the participants' approach motivation as measured in a following effort expenditure for rewards task, particularly when reward uncertainty was maximal. Together, these results indicate that reward anticipation consists of several sub-stages, each with distinct functional significance, thus providing implications for neuropsychiatric diseases characterized by dysfunction in anticipatory reward processing.

Zhang Y ，Li Q ，Wang Z ，Liu X ，Zheng Y ... -  《-》

Event-related components of the punishment and reward sensitivity.

The present study investigated the properties of feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P3 component of the event-related potentials (ERPs) and their neural sources localization as neurocognitive correlates of the behavioural inhibition and behavioural activation systems (BIS/BAS). The association between BIS/BAS function and anterior cortical asymmetry was tested. Fifty right-handed women were investigated with 30-channel recordings during an instrumental Go/No-Go learning task. ERPs were elicited to feedback signals indicating monetary losses and monetary gains. Learning performance, FRN, and P3 amplitude and latency measures were calculated and related to BIS and BAS measures by means of ANOVA and correlation analysis. The neural sources of FRN and P3 components of the ERPs were estimated using LORETA software. A resting EEG-alpha-power (8-13Hz) asymmetry measure was obtained. High levels of Reward Responsiveness (RR), a first order factor of the BAS, were associated with shorter RTs and enhanced positive feelings. The FRN was larger to signals indicating monetary Loss as compared to monetary Gain and enhanced with higher BIS and individual learning ability. Higher RR scores were related to greater left-sided resting frontal cortical asymmetry associated with approach orientation. High-RR subjects, as compared to Low-RR ones, had a smaller P3 amplitude for Go/Loss signals. The P3 latency to No-Go/Gain signals was the best positive predictor of RR. LORETA source localization for the FRN component displayed significantly higher brain electrical activity in left-fusiform gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus to monetary Loss in comparison to monetary Gain after incorrect No-Go responses. For the P3 wave, the monetary Loss produced significantly higher activations in the left superior parietal lobule, right postcentral gyrus, and in the ACC. The FRN was sensitive to cues of punishment and higher BIS was uniquely related to a larger FRN amplitude on No-Go/Loss trials, linking BIS with conflict monitoring and sensitivity to No-Go cues. Furthermore, the significant interaction found between BIS and RR on FRN amplitude together with the findings linking High-RR levels with shorter RTs, smaller P3 amplitudes and enhanced positive feelings are in line with the hypothesis that both BIS and BAS have the potential to influence punishment-mediated and reward-mediated behaviour. Results open up new perspectives for future investigations on the relationship between BIS/BAS measures and ERP components to monetary reward during learning.

De Pascalis V ，Varriale V ，D'Antuono L 《-》