Neural Responses during Anticipation of a Primary Taste Reward

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the brain regions involved in anticipation of a primary taste reward and to compare these regions to those responding to the receipt of a taste reward. Using fMRI, we scanned human subjects who were presented with visual cues that signaled subsequent reinforcement with a pleasant sweet taste (1 M glucose), a moderately unpleasant salt taste (0.2 M saline), or a neutral taste. Expectation of a pleasant taste produced activation in dopaminergic midbrain, posterior dorsal amygdala, striatum, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Apart from OFC, these regions were not activated by reward receipt. The findings indicate that when rewards are predictable, brain regions recruited during expectation are, in part, dissociable from areas responding to reward receipt.

Neural mechanisms underlying food motivation in children and adolescents

“…Due to the particular salience of food stimuli during a fasting state, it is not surprising that this region is also recruited in response to visual food stimuli. Increased activity in the OFC and MFC in response to food stimuli is also consistent with recent findings related to food motivation in humans (Morris and Dolan, 2001;O'Doherty et al, 2002), which implicate these neural territories in evaluation of positive reinforcers (such as food). In addition, the MFC appears to mediate communication between the hypothalamus and the highly reward-based, affective OFC (Pucak et al, 1996).…”

“…Across these studies, the most consistent findings include activation of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), medial frontal cortex (MFC), amygdala, hippocampal formation, and insula (Gordon et al, 2000;Hinton et al, 2004;Killgore et al, 2003;LaBar et al, 2001;Morris and Dolan, 2001;O'Doherty et al, 2002;Small et al, 2001;Tataranni et al, 1999). For example, LaBar et al (2001) scanned normal weight adults while they passively viewed images of food both before and after eating.…”

Altered brain activity in women recovered from bulimic-type eating disorders after a glucose challenge: A pilot study

“…23 In addition, expecting or receiving a food reward, or their combination, may have different activation patterns. 31 We did not find differences in orbitofrontal activation within or between subject groups. Recent studies, 32 as well as our preliminary data, suggest that orbitofrontal activation may be particularly related to sensory-specific satiety or to subjects' fasting status.…”

Having a word with yourself: Neural correlates of self-criticism and self-reassurance

“…Dorsal striatal (caudate and putamen) activity is regularly reported in human imaging studies of both rewards and punishments (Delgado et al, 2000(Delgado et al, , 2003Elliott et al, 2004;Knutson et al, 2000Knutson et al, , 2001O'Doherty et al, 2002O'Doherty et al, , 2004Pagnoni et al, 2002), thus striatal activity in the current task may relate to feelings of self-punishment. For instance, in one of our scenarios we focused on being rejected for a job.…”