Abstract
Expressing one's preference via choice can be rewarding, particularly when decisions are voluntarily made as opposed to being forced. An open question is whether engaging in choices involving rewards recruits distinct neural systems as a function of sensitivity to reward. Reward sensitivity is a trait partly influenced by the mesolimbic dopamine system, which can impact an individual's neural and behavioral response to reward cues. Here, we investigated how reward sensitivity contributes to neural activity associated with free and forced choices. Participants underwent a simple decision-making task, which presented free- or forced-choice trials in the scanner. Each trial presented two cues (i.e., points or information) that led to monetary reward at the end of the task. In free-choice trials, participants were offered the opportunity to choose between different reward cues (e.g., points vs. information), whereas forced-choice trials forced individuals to choose within a given reward cue (e.g., information vs. information, or points vs. points). We found enhanced ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activation during free choice compared to forced choice in individuals with high reward sensitivity scores. Next, using the VLPFC as a seed, we conducted a PPI analysis to identify brain regions that enhance connectivity with the VLPFC during free choice. Our PPI analyses on free vs. forced choice revealed increased VLPFC connectivity with the posterior cingulate and precentral gyrus in reward sensitive individuals. These findings suggest reward sensitivity may recruit attentional control processes during free choice potentially supporting goal-directed behavior and action selection.
Highlights
Reward sensitivity refers to individual responsiveness to rewards and the positive affect derived from engaging in reinforcing behaviors (Gray, 1987)
This paper investigated the influence of free choice on individual differences in reward sensitivity
Our psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses found increased ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precentral gyrus that might be involved in motor processing during free-choice trials in reward sensitive individuals
Summary
Reward sensitivity refers to individual responsiveness to rewards and the positive affect derived from engaging in reinforcing behaviors (Gray, 1987). In these types of choice studies, free-choice behavior is compared to forced-choice procedure that is experimenter-determined and the resulting outcome is measured Such studies converge on the idea that exerting control via choice enhances (a) motivation and performance (Ryan and Deci, 2000a; Patall, 2013) and (b) positive feelings and neural activity in reward-related brain regions such as the striatum when anticipating an opportunity to exert control (Leotti and Delgado, 2011, 2014). Previous work examining benefits of choice have focused on neural responses during the anticipation of choice (Sharot et al, 2009, 2010; Leotti and Delgado, 2011, 2014), the present study investigates the period of choice itself and whether engaging in choices involving rewards recruits distinct neural systems as a function of reward sensitivity
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