A neurocomputational investigation of reinforcement-based decision making as a candidate latent vulnerability mechanism in maltreated children

• DOI: 10.1017/s095457941700133x
• Publication Date: 2017-11-22T04:03:51Z
• Authors: Mattia I. Gerin; Vanessa B. Puetz; R. James R. Blair; Stuart White; Arjun Sethi; Ferdinand Hoffmann; Amy L. Palmer; Essi Viding; Eamon J. McCrory
• Keywords: Orbitofrontal cortex; Ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Alterations in reinforcement-based decision making may be associated with increased psychiatric vulnerability children who have experienced maltreatment. A probabilistic passive avoidance task and a model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging analytic approach were implemented to assess the neurocomputational components underlying making: (a) reinforcement expectancies (the representation of outcomes stimulus) (b) prediction error signaling ability detect differences between expected actual outcomes). There three main findings. First, maltreated group (n = 18; mean age 13), relative nonmaltreated peers 19; showed decreased activity during value processing widespread network commonly representation, including striatum (especially caudate), orbitofrontal cortex, medial temporal structures hippocampus insula. Second, consistent previously reported hyperresponsiveness negative cues context childhood abuse, middle cingulate gyrus, somatosensory superior thalamus. Third, frontodorsal regions putamen representation. These findings suggest that early adverse environments disrupt development decision-making processes, which turn compromise psychosocial functioning ways increase latent disorder.