Experience of Reward Increases Connectivity Between Default Mode Network and Other Brain Regions – Neuroscience News

Summary: The study shows how reward improves connectivity between the ventral striatum and the default mode network and influences behavior.

Source: Kessler Foundation

Researchers have reported results that advance our knowledge of how human behavior can be influenced by the Default Mode Network, a specific network of brain regions with both resting and task-related states.

The Default Mode Network (DMN), which includes the posterior medial cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and lateral temporal-parietal regions, has been shown to be involved in multiple task-related behaviors. Studies show that DMN activity increases with inward thinking and decreases with outward-facing tasks that require focused attention.

Despite evidence for a role for the DMN in shaping behavior, little is known about how task-related changes in the DMN affect connectivity with other brain regions. For example, while some observations suggest an indirect relationship between the DMN and the striatum, how the DMN and the striatum interact during tasks remains unclear.

To further explore the functions of the DMN, Drs. Dobryakova and Smith applied a novel analysis to the reward task using behavioral and neuroimaging data from 495 randomly selected individuals in the Human Connectome Project, an open-access database of healthy participants.

According to Dr. Dobryakova, a senior research scientist at the foundation’s Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research.

“First, to test the effects of reward on connectivity between the DMN and the striatum; and second, whether such connectivity is associated with behavioral and personality traits relevant to reward processing,” she explained.

Consistent with other studies, they observed reduced activation of the DMN and relatively increased activation of other networks during the task.

“Most importantly, we found that the reward experience enhanced connectivity between the DMN and the ventral striatum,” reported Dr. Dobryakova, “an effect specific to the DMN. We were also surprised that the strength of this connectivity correlated with personality traits related to openness,” she added.

A better understanding of how the healthy brain works will influence future research and care of individuals with neuropsychiatric syndromes. “Improving our understanding of how the DMN interacts with other brain networks has the potential to aid clinical research towards better treatments for common syndromes such as depression, substance abuse and schizophrenia,” concluded Dr. Dobryakova.

Financing: This research was supported by grants from National Institutes of Health grants R21-MH113917 (DVS), R03-DA046733 (DVS), RF1-AG067011 (DVS), R01-NS121107 (ED).

There is news from neuroscientific research about this reward and behavior

Author: Carolann Murphy
Source: Kessler Foundation
Contact: Carolann Murphy-Kessler Foundation
Picture: The image is in the public domain

Original research: Open access.
“Reward improves connectivity between the ventral striatum and the network in standard mode” by Ekaterina Dobryakova et al. NeuroImage

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The reward improves connectivity between the ventral striatum and the standard mode network

The Default Mode Network (DMN) has been theorized to be involved in a range of social, cognitive, and affective functions. However, previous reports do not consider how the DMN contributes to other brain regions depending on the psychological context, rendering our understanding of DMN function incomplete.

We closed this gap by applying a novel network-based psychophysiological interaction analysis (nPPI) to the reward task within the Human Connectome Project.

We initially focused on the task-related responses of the DMN and other networks affecting the prefrontal cortex, including the executive control network (salience network) and the left and right frontoparietal networks.

Consistent with a variety of previous studies, the DMN showed a relative decrease in activation during the task, while the other networks showed a relative increase during the task. Next, we used nPPI analysis to assess whether these networks exhibit task-dependent changes in connectivity with other brain regions.

Strikingly, we found that reward experience enhanced task-dependent connectivity between the DMN and the ventral striatum, an effect that was specific to the DMN. Surprisingly, the strength of DMN-VS connectivity correlated with personality traits related to openness.

Taken together, these results support models of DMN by showing how it contributes to other brain systems during task performance and how these contributions are related to individual differences.