Motivated Memories: Effects of Reward and Recollection in the Core Recollection Network and Beyond

Abstract

fMRI was employed to assess whether the neural correlates of accurate source memory are modulated by the reward value of recollected information. Study items comprised pictures of objects, each paired with a depiction of 1 of 2 coins. The reward value of the coins ($2.00 vs. $0.02) was disclosed after study. At test, a source memory procedure was employed in which subjects discriminated between studied and unstudied objects and, for objects judged studied, indicated the identity of the coin paired with the object at study. Correct judgments earned a reward corresponding to the value of the coin, whereas incorrect judgments were penalized. No regions were identified where the magnitude of recollection effects was modulated by reward. Exclusive effects of source accuracy were evident in the hippocampus. Different striatal sub-regions demonstrated exclusive recollection effects, exclusive reward effects, and overlap between the 2 effects. The left angular gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex were additively responsive to source accuracy and the reward. The findings suggest that reward value and recollection success are conjointly but independently represented in at least 2 cortical regions and that striatal retrieval success effects cannot be accounted for in terms of a single construct, such as goal satisfaction.

Goal- and retrieval-dependent activity in the striatum during memory recognition

“…Experimental evidence for independent goal-and retrieval-related processes in the striatum However, it should be noted that the goal-dependent and the retrieval-dependent account are not by definition mutually exclusive and thus could both account for certain aspects of the striatal recognition signal. Indeed, a recent recognition memory fMRI study, in which items were studied together with associative reward information, indicated that retrieval success and reward effects are independently represented in the striatum (Elward et al, 2014). The authors interpreted the dissociation between retrieval success and reward value associated with a correct memory retrieval in the striatum as evidence that the goal-dependent account on its own might be insufficient to explain the striatal recognition signal (Elward et al, 2014).…”

“…Indeed, a recent recognition memory fMRI study, in which items were studied together with associative reward information, indicated that retrieval success and reward effects are independently represented in the striatum (Elward et al, 2014). The authors interpreted the dissociation between retrieval success and reward value associated with a correct memory retrieval in the striatum as evidence that the goal-dependent account on its own might be insufficient to explain the striatal recognition signal (Elward et al, 2014).…”

“…Indeed the striatal activity patterns in these two studies generally indicated higher activation for perceived old items than for perceived new items although an influence of confidence (Schwarze et al, 2013) and incentive (Han et al, 2010) on striatal activity was evident. Moreover, a recent fMRI study, in which the participants studied pictures accompanied by associative cues which, after the study phase, were revealed to signal either low or high rewards for correct source retrieval, argued for the presence of two independent signals in the striatum representing retrievaland reward-related information, respectively (Elward et al, 2014). Specifically, Elward et al (2014) localized the response reward value in the ventral striatum and the retrieval response in the lateral striatum, which is generally consistent with our results which tentatively suggested a more ventromedial goal-related and a more dorsolateral retrieval-related striatal signal.…”

Neural mechanisms of mood-induced modulation of reality monitoring in schizophrenia

“…521–539). Additional studies reveal that prefrontal regions mediating different aspects of source memory encoding and retrieval processes (Mitchell & Johnson, 2009), and which are also activated during positive mood states may also help to predispose and facilitate overall memory recognition processes (Adcock, Thangavel, Whitfield-Gabrieli, Knutson, & Gabrieli, 2006; Elward, Vilberg, & Rugg, 2015). Thus, we hypothesized that people in a positive mood may show enhanced reality monitoring abilities mediated via prefrontal signal supporting enhanced attention and long term potentiation of relevant information from environmental stimuli into working memory processes; and/or enhanced switching of attention to enable better selection of the correct response.…”

How emotion context modulates unconscious goal activation during motor force exertion

“…This is because mathematically [(PA-UA)-(PC-UC)]=[(UC-UA)-(PC-PA)]. Similar analyses with exclusive masking procedures have been used in other incentive motivation studies (Dixon and Christoff, 2012;Elward et al, 2015;Pochon et al, 2002). Significant activations in the contrast to be masked that survived a threshold of p < .001 (uncorrected) were retained, with significant clusters containing a minimum of 50 voxels (p < .05; FWE corrected at the cluster level).…”