Risk-Taking and the Feedback Negativity Response to Loss among At-Risk Adolescents

Abstract

Event-related brain potentials were examined in 32 adolescents (50% female) from a high-risk sample, who were exposed to cocaine and other drugs prenatally. Adolescents were selected for extreme high- or low-risk behavior on the Balloon Analog Risk Task, a measure of real-world risk-taking propensity. The feedback error-related negativity (fERN), an event-related potential (ERP) that occurs when an expected reward does not occur, was examined in a game in which choices lead to monetary gains and losses with feedback delayed 1 or 2 s. The fERN was clearly visible in the fronto-central scalp region in this adolescent sample. Feedback type, feedback delay, risk status, and sex were all associated with fERN variability. Monetary feedback also elicited a P300-like component, moderated by delay and sex. Delaying reward feedback may provide a means for studying complementary functioning of dopamine and norepinephrine systems.

Feedback Processing in Adolescence: An Event-Related Potential Study of Age and Gender Differences

“…In general, relatively few studies have used sufficiently large samples to investigate gender-related effects on ERPs elicited by feedback in adults [but see [42]], and even fewer have done so within a developmental context [25,26,29]. In general [for an exception, see [26]], these studies showed that males have larger FRNs in gambling tasks than females [25,29,42], but this has been reported to occur under different conditions across studies.…”

“…In general [for an exception, see [26]], these studies showed that males have larger FRNs in gambling tasks than females [25,29,42], but this has been reported to occur under different conditions across studies. In adults aged 18-25 years, Kamarajan et al [42] reported that males had larger FRNs for high magnitude outcomes than for low magnitude outcomes (regardless of valence), whereas FRNs were insensitive to magnitude in females.…”

“…In a sample of adolescents (aged 15-17 years, mean = 16) and adults (aged 20-25 years, mean = 22), Yi et al [29] found that the amplitude of the FRN was greater for males than females, and this effect was independent of age, magnitude or valence. Crowley et al [25] did not have an adult comparison group, but in their sample of adolescents who were exposed to cocaine prenatally, the FRN in boys showed larger differences in amplitude between gains and losses than in girls. In our paradigm, males had larger FRNs than females, but this was specific to the gain condition.…”

“…However, only a small number of studies have used FRN recordings to investigate human DA circuitry in adolescents [25,26,27,28,29,30], and even fewer have examined gender differences in this population [26,29]. Two studies, one from our laboratory with an all-male sample who participated in a gambling game [28] and the other with a mixed gender sample using a probabilistic learning paradigm [27], have shown that adolescents have larger FRNs than adults.…”

Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Aggression in Children and Adolescents: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial Within the National Institute for Mental Health Research Domain Criteria Construct of Frustrative Non-Reward

“…The amplitude of the FRN is greater in response to negative feedback, and it is presumed to reflect the evaluation of outcome valence along a good-bad dimension (Lange et al 2012). Reduced FRN amplitudes were associated with externalizing psychopathology (Nelson et al 2011), as well as with risk-taking in adolescents (Crowley et al 2009). We will explore whether the amplitude of the P3 to the correct, and of FRN to the incorrect, Go trials of the GoNoGo task in the proposed study can be associated with response to CBT for aggression.…”