Simultaneous EEG and fMRI Reveals a Causally Connected Subcortical-Cortical Network during Reward Anticipation

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been used to study the neural correlates of reward anticipation, but the interrelation of EEG and fMRI measures remains unknown. The goal of the present study was to investigate this relationship in response to a well established reward anticipation paradigm using simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording in healthy human subjects. Analysis of causal interactions between the thalamus (THAL), ventral-striatum (VS), and supplementary motor area (SMA), using both mediator analysis and dynamic causal modeling, revealed that (1) THAL fMRI blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activity is mediating intermodal correlations between the EEG contingent negative variation (CNV) signal and the fMRI BOLD signal in SMA and VS, (2) the underlying causal connectivity network consists of top-down regulation from SMA to VS and SMA to THAL along with an excitatory information flow through a THAL3 VS3 SMA route during reward anticipation, and (3) the EEG CNV signal is best predicted by a combination of THAL fMRI BOLD response and strength of top-down regulation from SMA to VS and SMA to THAL. Collectively, these findings represent a likely neurobiological mechanism mapping a primarily subcortical process, i.e., reward anticipation, onto a cortical signature.

Impact of Early Life Adversity on Reward Processing in Young Adults: EEG-fMRI Results from a Prospective Study over 25 Years

“…Previous results using this paradigm have shown reliable and robust activation of the VS [55]. The task requires a fast button press directly after a flash target following a reward anticipation cue to win a potential reward.…”

Neurofeedback for ADHD

“…Simultaneous EEG-fMRI imaging findings during reward anticipation in fact demonstrated that negative SCPs (CNV activity) correlated with cortical and subcortical reward system activation. 61 Evidence to support this prediction in ADHD is still limited, but preliminary results of an ongoing study seem to point in this direction. 62 Although participants with ADHD showed a significant hypoactivation in the neural reward pathway before training compared with healthy controls, 20 sessions of SCP-neurofeedback led to a modification and partial functional normalization in pivotal reward-related structures.…”

Spurious correlations in simultaneous EEG-fMRI driven by in-scanner movement

“…Alarmingly, the presented pattern of spurious motion related EEG-BOLD effects was found employing preprocessing steps and analysis steps commonly employed in EEG-fMRI (Baumeister et al, 2014;de Munck et al, 2007;de Munck et al, 2009;Debener et al, 2007;Hanslmayr et al, 2013;Hanslmayr et al, 2011;Jann et al, 2009;Jansen et al, 2012;Laufs et al, 2006b;Laufs et al, 2003;Li et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2012b;Mayhew et al, 2010;Mayhew et al, 2012;Mayhew et al, 2013;Meyer et al, 2013;Novitskiy et al, 2011;Plichta et al, 2013;Regenbogen et al, 2012;White et al, 2013) and could easily pass as neurophysiological plausible results. The relationship of theta oscillatory power and successful memory formation remains controversial, as opposing effects have been reported by recent studies (Hanslmayr and Staudigl, 2014).…”