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Lateralization and gender differences in the dopaminergic response to unpredictable reward in the human ventral striatum.

ABSTRACT: Electrophysiological studies have shown that mesostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons increase activity in response to unpredicted rewards. With respect to other functions of the mesostriatal dopaminergic system, dopamine's actions show prominent laterality effects. Whether changes in DA transmission elicited by rewards also are lateralized, however, has not been investigated. Using [¹¹C]raclopride-PET to assess the striatal DA response to unpredictable monetary rewards, we hypothesized that such rewards would induce an asymmetric reduction in [¹¹C]raclopride binding in the ventral striatum, reflecting lateralization of endogenous dopamine release. In 24 healthy volunteers, differences in the regional D?/? receptor binding potential (?BP) between an unpredictable reward condition and a sensorimotor control condition were measured using the bolus-plus-constant-infusion [¹¹C]raclopride method. During the reward condition subjects randomly received monetary awards while performing a 'slot-machine' task. The ?BP between conditions was assessed in striatal regions-of-interest and compared between left and right sides. We found a significant condition × lateralization interaction in the ventral striatum. A significant reduction in binding potential (BP(ND) ) in the reward condition vs. the control condition was found only in the right ventral striatum, and the ?BP was greater in the right than the left ventral striatum. Unexpectedly, these laterality effects appeared to be partly accounted for by gender differences, as our data showed a significant bilateral BP(ND) reduction in women while in men the reduction reached significance only in the right ventral striatum. These data suggest that DA release in response to unpredictable reward is lateralized in the human ventral striatum, particularly in males.

SUBMITTER: Martin-Soelch C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3086965 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Lateralization and gender differences in the dopaminergic response to unpredictable reward in the human ventral striatum.

Martin-Soelch Chantal C Szczepanik Joanna J Nugent Allison A Barhaghi Krystle K Rallis Denise D Herscovitch Peter P Carson Richard E RE Drevets Wayne C WC

The European journal of neuroscience 20110401 9

Electrophysiological studies have shown that mesostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons increase activity in response to unpredicted rewards. With respect to other functions of the mesostriatal dopaminergic system, dopamine's actions show prominent laterality effects. Whether changes in DA transmission elicited by rewards also are lateralized, however, has not been investigated. Using [¹¹C]raclopride-PET to assess the striatal DA response to unpredictable monetary rewards, we hypothesized that such rewa ...[more]

PMID: 21453423

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Project description:ObjectiveLittle is known about the neurobiology of bipolar II disorder. While bipolar I disorder is associated with abnormally elevated activity in response to reward in the ventral striatum, a key component of reward circuitry, no studies have compared reward circuitry function in bipolar I and bipolar II disorders. Furthermore, associations among reward circuitry activity, reward sensitivity, and striatal volume remain underexplored in bipolar and healthy individuals. The authors examined reward activity in the ventral striatum in participants with bipolar I and II disorders and healthy individuals, the relationships between ventral striatal activity and reward sensitivity across all participants, and between-group differences in striatal gray matter volume and relationships with ventral striatal activity across all participants.MethodTwenty healthy comparison subjects and 32 euthymic bipolar I (N=17) and bipolar II (N=15) patients underwent a neuroimaging reward paradigm during functional MRI scanning, structural scanning, and completed psychometric and clinical assessments.ResultsRegion-of-interest analyses revealed significant ventral striatal activity in all participants during reward anticipation that was significantly greater in bipolar II patients compared with the other groups. Ventral striatal activity during reward anticipation correlated positively with reward sensitivity and fun seeking across all participants. Bipolar II patients had significantly greater left putamen volume than bipolar I patients, and left putamen volume correlated positively with left ventral striatal activity to reward anticipation in all participants.ConclusionsAbnormally elevated ventral striatal activity during reward anticipation may be a potential biomarker of bipolar II disorder. These findings highlight the importance of adopting a dimensional approach in the study of neural mechanisms supporting key pathophysiological processes that may cut across psychiatric disorders.

Dataset Information

Lateralization and gender differences in the dopaminergic response to unpredictable reward in the human ventral striatum.

Publications

Lateralization and gender differences in the dopaminergic response to unpredictable reward in the human ventral striatum.

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