The habenula encodes negative motivational value associated with primary punishment in humans.

Authors
Lawson, Rebecca P 
Loh, Eleanor 
Lutti, Antoine 
Dolan, Raymond J 

Change log
Abstract

Learning what to approach, and what to avoid, involves assigning value to environmental cues that predict positive and negative events. Studies in animals indicate that the lateral habenula encodes the previously learned negative motivational value of stimuli. However, involvement of the habenula in dynamic trial-by-trial aversive learning has not been assessed, and the functional role of this structure in humans remains poorly characterized, in part, due to its small size. Using high-resolution functional neuroimaging and computational modeling of reinforcement learning, we demonstrate positive habenula responses to the dynamically changing values of cues signaling painful electric shocks, which predict behavioral suppression of responses to those cues across individuals. By contrast, negative habenula responses to monetary reward cue values predict behavioral invigoration. Our findings show that the habenula plays a key role in an online aversive learning system and in generating associated motivated behavior in humans.

Publication Date
2014-08-12
Online Publication Date
2014-07-28
Acceptance Date
Keywords
conditioned behavior, high-resolution fMRI, pallidum, Adult, Animals, Conditioning, Psychological, Cues, Female, Functional Neuroimaging, Habenula, Humans, Learning, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motivation, Punishment, Reinforcement, Psychology, Species Specificity, Young Adult
Journal Title
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Journal ISSN
0027-8424
1091-6490
Volume Title
111
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences