fMRI studies of motivation and executive function

University Of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal focuses on the way reward and motivation are linked to executive function. Reward representation and working memory are key functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), but their interactions are not well understood at the neural systems level. This line of fMRI experiments will test fundamental assumptions about the way motivation and performance are represented in the brain. All experiments use variations of a working memory task requiring the maintenance of faces or scenes that has been shown to recruit PFC and posterior visual areas (PPA and FFA). Specifically, I will test whether manipulations of reward value recruit separable, or additional PFC regions and whether modulations in posterior visual areas can be altered by higher motivation trials. A second experiment will investigate financial punishment trials to assess the differences that may exist in a non-rewarded motivation manipulation. Analyses will include whole-brain, ROI, and correlational approaches to assess the activation differences based on varying reward motivation in the task. I will also include a modified task that will allow for superior modeling of the task periods. Overall, this research will clarify the functional organization of working memory and motivation. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]