title: Common neural mechanisms underlying reversal learning by reward and punishment.
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.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Gui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China ; Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Vita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Droutman
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging and Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zhong-Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America ; Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bechara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Read
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011678:Punishment; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult