Temporal prediction errors in a passive learning task activate human striatum.

Full Abstract

Functional MRI experiments in human subjects strongly suggest that the striatum participates in processing information about the predictability of rewarding stimuli. However, stimuli can be unpredictable in character (what stimulus arrives next), unpredictable in time (when the stimulus arrives), and unpredictable in amount (how much arrives). These variables have not been dissociated in previous imaging work in humans, thus conflating possible interpretations of the kinds of expectation errors driving the measured brain responses. Using a passive conditioning task and fMRI in human subjects, we show that positive and negative prediction errors in reward delivery time correlate with BOLD changes in human striatum, with the strongest activation lateralized to the left putamen. For the negative prediction error, the brain response was elicited by expectations only and not by stimuli presented directly; that is, we measured the brain response to nothing delivered (juice expected but not delivered) contrasted with nothing delivered (nothing expected).

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Author information

Author/s: McClure, Samuel M (SM); Berns, Gregory S (GS); Montague, P Read (PR);

Affiliation: Human Neuroimaging Lab, Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Grants: K08 DA00367 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R01 DA11723 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R01 MH52797 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH61010 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Neuron (Neuron), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Apr; vol 38 (issue 2) : pp 339-46

Dates: Created 2003/04/29; Completed 2003/05/28; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12718866, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Neuron. 2003 Apr 24;38(2):150-2. (PMID: 12718849)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Conditioning, Classical
Corpus Striatum - anatomy & histology; physiology
Cues
Female
Humans
Learning - physiology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male

Male
Nucleus Accumbens - physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Reaction Time
Reference Values
Regression Analysis
Taste - physiology
Time Factors
Time Perception - physiology

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