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Krikova K, Klein S, Kampa M, Walter B, Stark R, Klucken T. Appetitive conditioning with pornographic stimuli elicits stronger activation in reward regions than monetary and gaming-related stimuli. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26711. [PMID: 38798103 PMCID: PMC11128778 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Appetitive conditioning plays an important role in the development and maintenance of pornography-use and gaming disorders. It is assumed that primary and secondary reinforcers are involved in these processes. Despite the common use of pornography and gaming in the general population appetitive conditioning processes in this context are still not well studied. This study aims to compare appetitive conditioning processes using primary (pornographic) and secondary (monetary and gaming-related) rewards as unconditioned stimuli (UCS) in the general population. Additionally, it investigates the conditioning processes with gaming-related stimuli as this type of UCS was not used in previous studies. Thirty-one subjects participated in a differential conditioning procedure in which four geometric symbols were paired with either pornographic, monetary, or gaming-related rewards or with nothing to become conditioned stimuli (CS + porn, CS + game, CS + money, and CS-) in an functional magnetic resonance imaging study. We observed elevated arousal and valence ratings as well as skin conductance responses for each CS+ condition compared to the CS-. On the neural level, we found activations during the presentation of the CS + porn in the bilateral nucleus accumbens, right medial orbitofrontal cortex, and the right ventral anterior cingulate cortex compared to the CS-, but no significant activations during CS + money and CS + game compared to the CS-. These results indicate that different processes emerge depending on whether primary and secondary rewards are presented separately or together in the same experimental paradigm. Additionally, monetary and gaming-related stimuli seem to have a lower appetitive value than pornographic rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniya Krikova
- Clinical Psychology and PsychotherapyUniversity of SiegenSiegenGermany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems NeuroscienceJustus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Bender Institute for Neuroimaging (BION)Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
| | - Sanja Klein
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems NeuroscienceJustus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Bender Institute for Neuroimaging (BION)Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
| | - Miriam Kampa
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems NeuroscienceJustus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Bender Institute for Neuroimaging (BION)Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
| | - Bertram Walter
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems NeuroscienceJustus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Bender Institute for Neuroimaging (BION)Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems NeuroscienceJustus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Bender Institute for Neuroimaging (BION)Justus Liebig University GiessenGiessenGermany
- Center for Mind, Brain and BehaviorUniversities of Marburg and GießenMarburgGermany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Clinical Psychology and PsychotherapyUniversity of SiegenSiegenGermany
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2
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Wells TJ, Krejčová L, Binter J, Pfaus JG, Horsley RR. No significant effect of frequent online sexual behaviour on Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT): Implications for compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274913. [PMID: 36178949 PMCID: PMC9524690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Reward based learning is broadly acknowledged to underpin the development and maintenance of addictive behaviour although the mechanism in sexual compulsivity is less understood. Using a Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT) task we tested whether the motivational aspect of conditioned Pavlovian conditioned stimulus invigorated instrumental responding in relation to specific compatible monetary rewards. Performance on the task was analysed between two groups of males based on Low (N = 38) and High (N = 41) self-report online sexual behaviour (OSB). Psychometric tests including sexual compulsivity scale and behavioural activation/behavioural inhibition (BIS/BAS) were also administered to determine the relationship between OSB and general reward sensitivity. We show clear evidence of acquisition in the Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning phases. Specific transfer effect was greater in the High-OSB group although the difference compared to the Low-OSB group was non-significant. OSB negatively correlated with both BIS and BAS indicative of introversion and low reward sensitivity. OSB positively correlated with sexual compulsivity although it is unclear whether individuals in the High-OSB group considered their behaviour either excessive or problematic. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the nature of problematic OSB. Fundamental differences in motivational characteristics and mechanism contributing to compulsive behaviour in relation to high-OSB might indicate incompatibility with behavioural addiction models. PIT was not enhanced in high-OSB by appetitive conditioning, although problematic OSB could stem from failure to inhibit actions. Further research should investigate whether aversive conditioning differentially affects responding in high-OSB individuals, potentially explaining perseverant behaviour despite negative consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Wells
- Center for Sexual Health and Intervention, Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Lucie Krejčová
- Center for Sexual Health and Intervention, Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Binter
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - James G. Pfaus
- Center for Sexual Health and Intervention, Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
- Department of Psychology and Life Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Rachel R. Horsley
- Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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3
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Klein S, Krikova K, Antons S, Brand M, Klucken T, Stark R. Reward Responsiveness, Learning, and Valuation Implicated in Problematic Pornography Use — a Research Domain Criteria Perspective. CURRENT ADDICTION REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40429-022-00423-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose of Review
Problematic pornography use (PPU) describes a pattern of behavior characterized by excessive time spent using or thinking about pornography and continued use despite negative consequences. To help advance the understanding of transdiagnostic underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms in PPU, we aim to review existing evidence on these mechanisms focusing on positive valence systems within the transdiagnostic Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework.
Recent Findings
Reward anticipation processes seem to be increased in individuals with PPU symptoms when they anticipate sexual stimuli compared with other rewards. Studies further suggest that the initial neural and attentional responses to sexual rewards compared with different control stimuli are also increased in individuals with PPU symptoms, as are conditioned responses in sexual reward learning paradigms. Sexual reward valuation studies point towards an increased neural value differentiation with increasing PPU symptoms.
Summary
The current state of evidence indicates that positive valence systems are altered in persons with PPU. This framework of organizing evidence may aid in elucidating PPU development and maintenance as well as planning future studies.
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Chen L, Jiang X, Wang Q, Bőthe B, Potenza MN, Wu H. The Association between the Quantity and Severity of Pornography Use: A Meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2022; 59:704-719. [PMID: 34723731 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1988500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although the quantity of pornography use (QPU, i.e., frequency/time spent on pornography use) has been positively associated with the severity of pornography use (i.e., problematic pornography use, PPU), the magnitudes of relationships have varied across studies. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the overall relationships and identify potential moderating variables to explain the variation in these associations between QPU and PPU. We performed a literature search for all published and unpublished studies from 1995 to 2020 in major online scientific databases up until December 2020. Sixty-one studies were identified with 82 independent samples involving 74,880 participants. Results indicated that there was a positive, moderate relationship between QPU and PPU (r = 0.34, p < .001). The strength of relationship significantly varied across measures of PPU based on different theoretical frameworks, indicators of QPU, and sexual cultural contexts (conservative vs. permissive sexual values). Frequency was a more robust quantitative indicator of PPU than time spent on pornography use. In conservative countries, QPU showed more robust association with self-perceived PPU. Future studies are encouraged to select the measurement of PPU according to research aims and use multi-item measures with demonstrated content validity to assess pornography use. Cross-cultural (conservative/permissive) comparisons also warrant further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Chen
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University
| | - Xiaoliu Jiang
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University
| | - Qiqi Wang
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University
| | - Beáta Bőthe
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine
- Department of Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling
| | - Huijuan Wu
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University
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5
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Stark R, Markert C, Kruse O, Walter B, Strahler J, Klein S. Individual cortisol response to acute stress influences neural processing of sexual cues. J Behav Addict 2022; 11:506-519. [PMID: 35895611 PMCID: PMC9295234 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2022.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Problematic pornography use can be conceptualized as an impulse control disorder or alternatively as a behavioral addiction. Stress is an important trigger in addiction, but less is known about the neural effect of stress in problematic pornography use. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the effect of stress during the anticipation and viewing of sexually explicit material while considering person characteristics related to potentially being at risk for developing problematic pornography use. METHODS In an fMRI study (n = 157 men, age: mean = 25.46, SD = 4.11) we used a sexual incentive delay task. A social stress test was used to induce stress in half of the participants. Salivary cortisol was repeatedly measured and person characteristics were considered moderating the effects of cortisol response. RESULTS We found no group differences in the neural responses during the anticipation phase, but a higher reactivity to sexual stimuli in the dACC in the stress group. Acute stress activated a pronounced cortisol response, which positively correlated with neural activations in the reward system (NAcc, dACC) to sexual cues. Further, the individual time spent on pornography use moderated the effect of cortisol in some regions of the reward system (dACC, mOFC). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that acute stress related increases in cortisol can enhance the incentive value of cues announcing sexual stimuli. This might explain why acute stress is considered a trigger of pornography use and relapse and why individual stress response might be a risk factor for developing a problematic pornography use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany,Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Charlotte Markert
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
| | - Onno Kruse
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany
| | - Bertram Walter
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
| | - Jana Strahler
- Sportpsychology, Institute of Sport and Sport Sciences, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sanja Klein
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
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6
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Tao X, Wu S, Tang W, Li L, Huang L, Mo D, Liu C, Song T, Wang S, Wang J, He J. Alleviative effects of foraging exercise on depressive-like behaviors in chronic mild stress-induced ischemic rat model. Brain Inj 2022; 36:127-136. [PMID: 35138197 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2022.2034949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication that seriously affects the functional recovery and prognosis of an individual. As some patients with PSD fail to respond to drug therapy, it is urgent to find a viable alternative treatment. METHODS An active exercise program known as foraging exercise (FE), using food as bait, was designed. First, focal ischemia and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) were used to establish a PSD model in rats. FE was then performed for 4 weeks. Body weight and behavioral assessments were conducted at the end of the 4th and 8th weeks. RESULTS After 8 weeks, the results revealed that, compared with the PSD group, the behavioral scores of the rats in the PSD/FE group were significantly improved, the expression of Iba-1 in the affected frontal lobe and striatum was decreased, and serum levels of IL-6 and the IL-6/IL-10 ratio were downregulated. However, the ratio of residual brain volume in rats that had experienced CUMS was significantly less than that in the stroke group. CONCLUSION FE can alleviate the behavioral scores of PSD rats, and its mechanism may be related to a modulation of the immune-inflammation response of microglia. Furthermore, chronic, persistent stress may increase the volume of cerebral infarction after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Tao
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Siyuan Wu
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Wenjing Tang
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Lu Li
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Lijun Huang
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Danheng Mo
- Department of Neurology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Chujuan Liu
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Tao Song
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Shuling Wang
- Hunan Provincial Institute of Geriatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Department of Scientific Research, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Juan He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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7
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van 't Hof SR, Van Oudenhove L, Janssen E, Klein S, Reddan MC, Kragel PA, Stark R, Wager TD. The Brain Activation-Based Sexual Image Classifier (BASIC): A Sensitive and Specific fMRI Activity Pattern for Sexual Image Processing. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3014-3030. [PMID: 34905775 PMCID: PMC9290618 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggest there is a complex relationship between sexual and general affective stimulus processing, which varies across individuals and situations. We examined whether sexual and general affective processing can be distinguished at the brain level. In addition, we explored to what degree possible distinctions are generalizable across individuals and different types of sexual stimuli, and whether they are limited to the engagement of lower-level processes, such as the detection of visual features. Data on sexual images, nonsexual positive and negative images, and neutral images from Wehrum et al. (2013) (N = 100) were reanalyzed using multivariate support vector machine models to create the brain activation-based sexual image classifier (BASIC) model. This model was tested for sensitivity, specificity, and generalizability in cross-validation (N = 100) and an independent test cohort (N = 18; Kragel et al. 2019). The BASIC model showed highly accurate performance (94–100%) in classifying sexual versus neutral or nonsexual affective images in both datasets with forced choice tests. Virtual lesions and tests of individual large-scale networks (e.g., visual or attention networks) show that individual networks are neither necessary nor sufficient to classify sexual versus nonsexual stimulus processing. Thus, responses to sexual images are distributed across brain systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie R van 't Hof
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Medical Centre, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Lukas Van Oudenhove
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Erick Janssen
- Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Sanja Klein
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany.,Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany
| | - Marianne C Reddan
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.,Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Philip A Kragel
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.,Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany.,Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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8
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Cui F, Huang X, Li X, Liao C, Liu J, Luo YJ. Moral Conflict in Economic Decision Making: The Role of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex-Striatum Pathway. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5121-5130. [PMID: 34148081 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study combined a novel hypothetical investment game with functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how moral conflict biases our real decision preference when it is not obvious or explicitly presented. Investment projects were chosen based on their prior subjective morality ratings to fit into 2 categories: a high level of moral conflict (HMC) or a low level of moral conflict (LMC). Participants were instructed to invest high or low amounts of capital into different projects. Behavioral and neural responses during decision making were recorded and compared. Behaviorally, we observed a significant decision bias such that investments were lower for HMC projects than for LMC projects. At the neural level, we found that moral conflict-related activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was higher in the HMC condition than in the LMC condition and that reward-related activity in bilateral striatum was lower. Dynamic causal modeling further suggested that the moral conflict detected in the ACC influenced final decisions by modulating the representation of subjective value through the ACC's connection to the reward system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Cui
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Huang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Chong Liao
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim 68131, Germany
| | - Jie Liu
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Department of Psychology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,College of Teacher Education, Qilu Normal University, Jining 250200, China
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9
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Zhou J, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G. Is the core function of orbitofrontal cortex to signal values or make predictions? Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021; 41:1-9. [PMID: 33869678 PMCID: PMC8052096 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
One dominant hypothesis about the function of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is that the OFC signals the subjective values of possible outcomes to other brain areas for learning and decision making. This popular view generally neglects the fact that OFC is not necessary for simple value-based behavior (i.e., when values have been directly experienced). An alternative, emerging view suggests that OFC plays a more general role in representing structural information about the task or environment, derived from prior experience, and relevant to predicting behavioral outcomes, such as value. From this perspective, value signaling is simply one derivative of the core underlying function of OFC. New data in favor of both views have been accumulating rapidly. Here we review these new data in discussing the relative merits of these two ideas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingfeng Zhou
- Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Matthew P H Gardner
- Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Geoffrey Schoenbaum
- Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore MD, USA
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10
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van 't Hof SR, Cera N. Specific factors and methodological decisions influencing brain responses to sexual stimuli in women. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:164-178. [PMID: 34560132 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Most of the neuroimaging studies on sexual behavior have been conducted with male participants, leading to men-based models of sexual arousal. Here, possible factors and methodological decisions that might influence brain responses to sexual stimuli, specifically for the inclusion of women, will be reviewed. Based on this review, we suggest that future studies consider the following factors: menstrual phase, hormonal contraception use, history of sexual or psychiatric disorders or diseases, and medication use. Moreover, when researching sexual arousal, we suggest future studies assess sexual orientation and preferences, that women should select visual sexual stimuli, and a longer duration than commonly used. This review is thought to represent a useful guideline for future research in sexual arousal, which hopefully will lead to a higher inclusion of women and therefore more accurate neurobiological models of sexual arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicoletta Cera
- Centre for Psychology at University of Porto -CPUP, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
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11
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Golec K, Draps M, Stark R, Pluta A, Gola M. Aberrant orbitofrontal cortex reactivity to erotic cues in Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder. J Behav Addict 2021; 10:646-656. [PMID: 34437297 PMCID: PMC8997235 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2021.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) is characterized by increased reactivity to erotic reward cues. Cue-encoded reward parameters, such as type (e.g. erotic or monetary) or probability of anticipated reward, shape reward-related motivational processes, increase the attractiveness of cues and therefore might enhance maladaptive behavioral patterns in CSBD. Studies on the neural patterns of cue processing in individuals with CSBD have been limited mainly to ventral striatal responses. Therefore, here we aimed to examine the cue reactivity of multiple key structures in the brain's reward system, taking into account not only the type of predicted reward but also its probability. METHODS Twenty Nine men seeking professional help due to CSBD and 24 healthy volunteers took part in an fMRI study with a modified Incentive Delay Task with erotic and monetary rewards preceded by cues indicating a 25%, 50%, or 75% chance of reward. Analyses of functional patterns of activity related to cue type and probability were conducted on the whole-brain and ROI levels. RESULTS Increased anticipatory response to cues predictive of erotic rewards was observed among CSBD participants when compared to controls, in the ventral striatum and anterior orbitofrontal cortex (aOFC). The activity in aOFC was modulated by reward probability. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Type of anticipated reward (erotic vs monetary) affects reward-related behavioral motivation in CSBD more strongly than reward probability. We present evidence of abnormal aOFC function in CSBD by demonstrating the recruitment of additional subsections of this region by erotic reward cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Golec
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland,Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Małgorzata Draps
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Mateusz Gola
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland,Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computations, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
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12
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Markert C, Klein S, Strahler J, Kruse O, Stark R. Sexual incentive delay in the scanner: Sexual cue and reward processing, and links to problematic porn consumption and sexual motivation. J Behav Addict 2021; 10:65-76. [PMID: 33822748 PMCID: PMC8969854 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2021.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The use of pornography, while unproblematic for the majority, can grow into addiction-like behavior which in its extreme form is labeled as compulsive sexual behavioral disorder in the ICD-11 (WHO, 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate the addiction-specific reactivity to cues in order to better understand underlying mechanisms in the development of this disorder. METHODS We have used an optimized Sexual Incentive Delay Task to study brain activity in reward associated brain areas during an anticipation phase (with cues predicting pornographic videos, control videos or no videos) and a corresponding delivery phase in healthy men. Correlations to indicators of problematic pornography use, the time spent on pornography use, and trait sexual motivation were analyzed. RESULTS The results of 74 men showed that reward-related brain areas (amygdala, dorsal cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, and insula) were significantly more activated by both the pornographic videos and the pornographic cues than by control videos and control cues, respectively. However, we found no relationship between these activations and indicators of problematic pornography use, time spent on pornography use, or with trait sexual motivation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The activity in reward-related brain areas to both visual sexual stimuli as well as cues indicates that optimization of the Sexual Incentive Delay Task was successful. Presumably, associations between reward-related brain activity and indicators for problematic or pathological pornography use might only occur in samples with increased levels and not in a rather healthy sample used in the present study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Markert
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany,Corresponding author E-mail:
| | - Sanja Klein
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
| | - Jana Strahler
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), University of Giessen, Germany
| | - Onno Kruse
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), University of Giessen, Germany,Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Siegen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
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