Abstract
Impairments in flexible goal-directed decisions, often examined by reversal learning, are associated with behavioral abnormalities characterized by impulsiveness and disinhibition. Although the lateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC) has been consistently implicated in reversal learning, it is still unclear whether this region is involved in negative feedback processing, behavioral control, or both, and whether reward and punishment might have different effects on lateral OFC involvement. Using a relatively large sample (N = 47), and a categorical learning task with either monetary reward or moderate electric shock as feedback, we found overlapping activations in the right lateral OFC (and adjacent insula) for reward and punishment reversal learning when comparing correct reversal trials with correct acquisition trials, whereas we found overlapping activations in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when negative feedback signaled contingency change. The right lateral OFC and DLPFC also showed greater sensitivity to punishment than did their left homologues, indicating an asymmetry in how punishment is processed. We propose that the right lateral OFC and anterior insula are important for transforming affective feedback to behavioral adjustment, whereas the right DLPFC is involved in higher level attention control. These results provide insight into the neural mechanisms of reversal learning and behavioral flexibility, which can be leveraged to understand risky behaviors among vulnerable populations.
Highlights
Adaptive behaviors require the ability to quickly adjust responses in changing environments
The present study aimed at parsing the subprocesses associated with reversal learning, and further examined how they were modulated by reward and punishment
Accuracy was marginally better for reversal learning under reward than punishment (F(1,46) = 3.32, p = .075), and the RT was longer under punishment (F(1,46) = 5.81, p = .02)
Summary
Adaptive behaviors require the ability to quickly adjust responses in changing environments. Similar dissociations between positive and negative prediction errors have been observed in the striatum [38,39] and in the striatum and amygdala [40] It is unclear whether similar dissociations between reward and punishment could be found for reversal learning. It is difficult to tell whether the lateral OFC is involved in negative feedback processing [19] or inhibition per se These studies did not focus on contrasting reversal learning with initial acquisition or general reinforcement learning [22,41]. The present study aimed at parsing the subprocesses (i.e., detecting contingency change vs expression of new behavior by inhibiting old association) associated with reversal learning, and further examined how they were modulated by reward and punishment. Our study represents the first step to understand the neural mechanism of cognitive control among this population, which can be leveraged to understand their risky behaviors
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