title: Subjective illusion of control modulates striatal reward anticipation in adolescence.
abstract: The perception of control over the environment constitutes a fundamental biological adaptive mechanism, especially during development. Previous studies comparing an active choice condition with a passive no-choice condition showed that the neural basis of this mechanism is associated with increased activity within the striatum and the prefrontal cortex. In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether subjective belief of control in an uncertain gambling situation induces elevated activation in a cortico-striatal network. We investigated 79 adolescents (age range: 13-16years) during reward anticipation with a slot machine task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed post-experimentally whether the participants experienced a subjective illusion of control on winning or losing in this task that was objectively not given. Nineteen adolescents experienced an illusion of control during slot machine gambling. This illusion of control group showed an increased neural activity during reward anticipation within a cortico-striatal network including ventral striatum (VS) as well as right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) relative to the group reporting no illusion of control. The rIFG activity was inversely associated with impulsivity in the no illusion of control group. The subjective belief about control led to an elevated ventral striatal activity, which is known to be involved in the processing of reward. This finding strengthens the notion that subjectively perceived control, not necessarily the objective presence of control, affects striatal reward-related processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany; Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: lorenz@mpib-berlin.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; NeuroCure Excellence Cluster, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gleich
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pöhland
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pelz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wüstenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Science and Psychology, Free University, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raufelder
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development / Q000502:physiology*; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D066328:Ventral Striatum / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Adolescence; Illusion of control; Reward anticipation; fMRI