Is loss avoidance differentially rewarding in adolescents versus adults? Differences in ventral striatum and anterior insula activation during the anticipation of potential monetary losses

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Avoiding loss is a crucial, adaptive guide to human behavior. While previous developmental research has primarily focused on gaining rewards, less attention has been paid to loss processing and its avoidance. In daily life, it is often unknown how likely an action will result in a loss, making the role of uncertainty in loss processing particularly important. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the influence of varying outcome probabilities (12%, 34%, and 67%) on brain regions implicated in loss processing (ventral striatum (VS), anterior insula (AI)) by comparing 28 adolescents (10-18 years) and 24 adults (22-32 years) during the anticipation of potential monetary loss.Overall, results revealed slower RTs in adolescents compared to adults with both groups being faster in the experimental (monetary condition) vs. control trials (verbal condition). Fastest RTs were observed for the 67% outcome probability in both age groups. An age group × outcome probability interaction effect revealed the greatest differences between the groups for the 12% vs. the 67% outcome probability. Neurally, both age groups demonstrated a higher percent signal change in the VS and AI during the anticipation of potential monetary loss versus the verbal condition. However, adults demonstrated an even greater activation of VS and AI than adolescents during the anticipation of potential monetary loss, but not during the verbal condition. This may indicate that adolescents differ from adults regarding their experience of avoiding losing monetary rewards.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)36-49
Number of pages14
JournalCognitive neuroscience
Volume14
Issue number1
Early online date20 Feb 2022
Publication statusPublished - 14 Jan 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85125380892
unpaywall 10.1080/17588928.2022.2038555
Mendeley 0d1eaf75-94b7-36a0-b49b-d7151d0800ee
WOS 000758858800001
ORCID /0000-0001-8692-1166/work/142239524
ORCID /0000-0002-4897-1119/work/145224683
ORCID /0000-0003-1477-5395/work/142252282

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Adolescence, development, fMRI, losses, monetary incentive delay task, probabilities, ventral striatum, Monetary incentive delay task, Losses, Development, Ventral striatum, Probabilities, Humans, Brain/physiology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Adolescent, Brain Mapping, Adult, Ventral Striatum/diagnostic imaging, Reward, Anticipation, Psychological/physiology