PIIS000632231500637X.pdf (1.91 MB)
A neurocomputational account of how inflammation enhances sensitivity to punishments versus rewards
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 22:27 authored by Neil Harrison, Valerie Voon, Mara Cercignani, Ella A Cooper, Mathias Pessiglione, Hugo CritchleyHugo CritchleyBACKGROUND: Inflammation rapidly impairs mood and cognition and, when severe, can appear indistinguishable from major depression. These sickness responses are characterized by an acute reorientation of motivational state; pleasurable activities are avoided, and sensitivity to negative stimuli is enhanced. However, it remains unclear how these rapid shifts in behavior are mediated within the brain. METHODS: Here, we combined computational modeling of choice behavior, experimentally induced inflammation, and functional brain imaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to describe these mechanisms. Using a double-blind, randomized crossover study design, 24 healthy volunteers completed a probabilistic instrumental learning task on two separate occasions, one 3 hours after typhoid vaccination and one 3 hours after saline (placebo) injection. Participants learned to select high probability reward (win £1) and avoid high probability punishment (lose £1) stimuli. An action-value learning algorithm was fit to the observed behavior, then used within functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses to identify neural coding of prediction error signals driving motivational learning. RESULTS: Inflammation acutely biased behavior, enhancing punishment compared with reward sensitivity, through distinct actions on neural representations of reward and punishment prediction errors within the ventral striatum and anterior insula. Consequently, choice options leading to potential rewards were less behaviorally attractive, and those leading to punishments were more aversive. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the neural mediation of a rapid, state-dependent reorientation of reward versus punishment sensitivity during inflammation. This mechanism may aid the adaptive reallocation of metabolic resources during acute sickness but might also account for m
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Biological PsychiatryISSN
0006-3223Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
80Page range
73-81Department affiliated with
- BSMS Neuroscience Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-09-10First Open Access (FOA) Date
2015-09-10First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2015-09-10Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC