title: Low putamen activity associated with poor reward sensitivity in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.
abstract: Motivational signals influence a wide variety of cognitive processes and components of behavioral performance. Cognitive dysfunction in patients with childhood chronic fatigue syndrome (CCFS) may be closely associated with a low motivation to learn induced by impaired neural reward processing. However, the extent to which reward processing is impaired in CCFS patients is unclear. The aim of the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to determine whether brain activity in regions related to reward sensitivity is impaired in CCFS patients. fMRI data were collected from 13 CCFS patients (mean age, 13.6 ± 1.0 years) and 13 healthy children and adolescents (HCA) (mean age, 13.7 ± 1.3 years) performing a monetary reward task. Neural activity in high- and low-monetary-reward conditions was compared between CCFS and HCA groups. Severity of fatigue and the reward obtained from learning in daily life were evaluated by questionnaires. Activity of the putamen was lower in the CCFS group than in the HCA group in the low-reward condition, but not in the high-reward condition. Activity of the putamen in the low-reward condition in CCFS patients was negatively and positively correlated with severity of fatigue and the reward from learning in daily life, respectively. We previously revealed that motivation to learn was correlated with striatal activity, particularly the neural activity in the putamen. This suggests that in CCFS patients low putamen activity, associated with altered dopaminergic function, decreases reward sensitivity and lowers motivation to learn.
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiological and Health Science Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Health Evaluation Team, RIKEN Compass to Healthy Life Research Complex Program, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Departments of Medical Science on Fatigue, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 545-8585, Japan; Osaka City University Center for Health Science Innovation, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 530-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.affiliation: Departments of Child Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjyo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawatani
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiological and Health Science Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Health Evaluation Team, RIKEN Compass to Healthy Life Research Complex Program, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiological and Health Science Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Health Evaluation Team, RIKEN Compass to Healthy Life Research Complex Program, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Departments of Physiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 545-8585, Japan; Osaka City University Center for Health Science Innovation, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 530-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics in Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 4-24-1 Kuhonji, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoneda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Miyazaki Hospital, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kumamoto University Hospital, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomoda
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjyo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Joudoi
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiological and Health Science Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Health Evaluation Team, RIKEN Compass to Healthy Life Research Complex Program, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan; Departments of Physiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 545-8585, Japan; Osaka City University Center for Health Science Innovation, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka 530-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D011699:Putamen / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D012201:Reward
keywords: Childhood chronic fatigue syndrome; Dopamine; Motivation; Putamen; Reward sensitivity; fMRI