Action Dominates Valence in Anticipatory Representations in the Human Striatum and Dopaminergic Midbrain

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.6376-10.2011
• Publication Date: 2011-05-25T16:49:08Z
• Authors: Marc Guitart-Masip; Lluis Fuentemilla; Dominik R. Bach; Quentin J. M. Huys; Peter Dayan; Raymond J. Dolan; Emrah Duzel
• Keywords: Ventral striatum; Punishment (psychology)

The acquisition of reward and the avoidance punishment could logically be contingent on either emitting or withholding particular actions. However, separate pathways in striatum for go no-go appear to violate this independence, instead coupling affect effect. Respect interdependence has biased many studies punishment, so potential action-outcome valence interactions during anticipatory phases remain unexplored. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with healthy human volunteers, we manipulated subjects' requirement emit withhold an action independent from subsequent receipt punishment. During anticipation, lateral region within substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), representations dominated over representations. Moreover, did not observe any representation associated different state values through accumulation outcomes, challenging conventional dominant association between these areas value contrast, more medial sector SN/VTA responded preferentially valence, opposite signs depending whether was anticipated emitted withheld. This influence requires enriched notion opponency