Functional connectivity between ventral striatum and amygdala regarding processing of social reward information

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K21509
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science; Cognitive science
• Research Institution: Kansai Medical University (2017-2018); Kindai University (2016)
• Principal Investigator: KURAOKA Koji 関西医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (10581647)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 社会的報酬 / 扁桃体 / 腹側線条体 / サル / ニューロン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is essential for primates to predict upcoming value of social information. To elucidate neural mechanisms underlying above-mentioned cognitive function, activity of neurons in the monkey ventral striatum and amygdala in response to social reward or punishment stimuli was recorded. Peaks of the neuronal responses to cues predicting sociality-related visual stimuli were faster in the amygdala than in the ventral striatum. Moreover, neurons in the ventral striatum showed stronger response to cues predicting preferred visual stimuli than unpreferred visual stimuli, whereas neurons in the amygdala showed indifferent response to cues predicting preferred and unpreferred visual stimuli. Time lag of peak responses between the ventral striatum and the amygdala indicates that the information about prediction of visual stimuli flows from the amygdala to the ventral striatum.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、社会的報酬の価値情報が扁桃体から腹側線条体へ送られるという、脳内で社会的情報の価値が処理されていく過程の一端が明らかになった。この結果により、霊長類が社会的行動をする上での動機や意欲を生じる脳内神経機序の解明につながると期待できる。さらに研究が進めば、社会生活を送ることに困難を感じる人たちの脳内における問題を明らかにし、延いてはその治療にもつながる可能性がある。