15 research outputs found
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Patterns of Brain Activation when Mothers View Their Own Child and Dog: An fMRI Study
Neural substrates underlying the human-pet relationship are largely unknown. We examined fMRI brain activation patterns as mothers viewed images of their own child and dog and an unfamiliar child and dog. There was a common network of brain regions involved in emotion, reward, affiliation, visual processing and social cognition when mothers viewed images of both their child and dog. Viewing images of their child resulted in brain activity in the midbrain (ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra involved in reward/affiliation), while a more posterior cortical brain activation pattern involving fusiform gyrus (visual processing of faces and social cognition) characterized a mother's response to her dog. Mothers also rated images of their child and dog as eliciting similar levels of excitement (arousal) and pleasantness (valence), although the difference in the own vs. unfamiliar child comparison was larger than the own vs. unfamiliar dog comparison for arousal. Valence ratings of their dog were also positively correlated with ratings of the attachment to their dog. Although there are similarities in the perceived emotional experience and brain function associated with the mother-child and mother-dog bond, there are also key differences that may reflect variance in the evolutionary course and function of these relationships
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Single Dose of a Dopamine Agonist Impairs Reinforcement Learning in Humans: Evidence from Event-related Potentials and Computational Modeling of Striatal-Cortical Function
Animal findings have highlighted the modulatory role of phasic dopamine (DA) signaling in incentive learning, particularly in the acquisition of reward-related behavior. In humans, these processes remain largely unknown. In a recent study, we demonstrated that a single low dose of a D2/D3 agonist (pramipexole) - assumed to activate DA autoreceptors and thus reduce phasic DA bursts - impaired reward learning in healthy subjects performing a probabilistic reward task. The purpose of this study was to extend these behavioral findings using event-related potentials and computational modeling. Compared with the placebo group, participants receiving pramipexole showed increased feedback-related negativity to probabilistic rewards and decreased activation in dorsal anterior cingulate regions previously implicated in integrating reinforcement history over time. Additionally, findings of blunted reward learning in participants receiving pramipexole were simulated by reduced presynaptic DA signaling in response to reward in a neural network model of striatal-cortical function. These preliminary findings offer important insights on the role of phasic DA signals on reinforcement learning in humans and provide initial evidence regarding the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain mechanisms underlying these processes.Psycholog
fMRI results for the own child > fixation contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).
a<p>Neurosynth term/function (<a href="http://www.neurosynth.org" target="_blank">www.neurosynth.org</a>).</p>b<p>Hemisphere: R, right, L, left.</p>c<p>Cluster size; number of contiguous voxels with p<0.05.</p>d<p>x, y, and z coordinates in MNI space.</p>e<p>Familywise error corrected at the cluster level.</p><p>All results significant at <i>p</i>< .05, cluster-level family-wise error correction.</p><p>fMRI results for the own child > fixation contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).</p
fMRI results for main effect of relationship (own vs. unfamiliar) in brain regions of interest.
a<p>Neurosynth term/function (<a href="http://www.neurosynth.org" target="_blank">www.neurosynth.org</a>); N/A  =  not available in the Neurosynth atlas.</p>b<p>Hemisphere: R, right, L, left</p>c<p>Cluster size; number of contiguous voxels with p< 0.01.</p>d<p>x, y, and z coordinates in MNI space.</p>e<p>Familywise error corrected at the cluster level.</p><p>All results significant at <i>p</i>< .05, cluster-level family-wise error correction.</p><p>Follow-up t-tests revealed all significant main effects were the result of greater brain activation in the own vs. unfamiliar (own > unfamiliar) contrast. There were no significant differences in ROI activation for the unfamiliar > own contrast.</p><p>fMRI results for main effect of relationship (own vs. unfamiliar) in brain regions of interest.</p
fMRI results for the own dog > fixation contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).
a<p>Neurosynth term/function (<a href="http://www.neurosynth.org" target="_blank">www.neurosynth.org</a>).</p>b<p>Hemisphere: R, right, L, left.</p>c<p>Cluster size; number of contiguous voxels with p<0.05.</p>d<p>x, y, and z coordinates in MNI space.</p>e<p>Familywise error corrected at the cluster level.</p><p>All results significant at <i>p</i>< .05, cluster-level family-wise error correction.</p><p>fMRI results for the own dog > fixation contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).</p
fMRI results for own child > unfamiliar child contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).
a<p>Neurosynth term/function (<a href="http://www.neurosynth.org" target="_blank">www.neurosynth.org</a>).</p>b<p>Hemisphere: R, right, L, left.</p>c<p>Cluster size; number of contiguous voxels with p<0.01.</p>d<p>x, y, and z coordinates in MNI space.</p>e<p>Familywise error corrected at the cluster level.</p><p>All results significant at <i>p</i>< .05, cluster-level family-wise error correction.</p><p>There were no significant differences for the own dog vs. unfamiliar dog contrast.</p><p>fMRI results for own child > unfamiliar child contrast in brain regions of interest (n = 14).</p
Greater activation for own child (OC) vs. fixation cross (FX; a,b) and own dog (OD) vs. FX (c,d) contrasts in mothers who are dog owners (n = 14).
<p>Note the more extensive activation in (a) amygdala (coronal view) for the OC > FX compared to the OD > FX images (c). There is also activation in (b) SNi/VTA (axial view) for the OC > FX images that is not present in the OD > FX images (d). Activation is overlaid on SPM8 single subject T1 template. Other conventions the same as in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0107205#pone-0107205-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2</a>.</p
Brain activation maps and graphs for the own dog vs. own child contrast.
<p>There was greater activation for the own dog vs. own child contrast in fusiform gyrus (A) and less deactivation for own child vs. own dog contrast in NAcc/ventral striatum (B). Other conventions the same as in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0107205#pone-0107205-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2</a>.</p
Participant Characteristics (n = 14).
<p>IQ  =  Weschler Test of Adult Reading Full Scale IQ.</p><p>LAPS  =  Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (higher score means greater level of attachment).</p><p>Participant Characteristics (n = 14).</p
Graphs of the post-scan valence (Fig. 5a) and arousal (Fig. 5b) ratings show significant differences between own child (OC) > unfamiliar child (UC) and own dog (OD) > unfamiliar dog (UD; valence and arousal) and UD > UC (arousal).
<p>All <i>p</i>s < 0.05. Error bars depict 95% confidence intervals.</p