Biology subjects

Becker, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Becker, B..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A neurofunctional signature of romantic love predicts rewards on social media, effects of oxytocin and drug-cue reactivity

Romantic love is a selective motivational state supporting pair bonding, yet its neural representation and relation to other affiliative-rewarding experiences remain unclear. Across eight fMRI studies (n=420) spanning naturalistic affiliative-reward, pharmacological and addiction-relevant experiments, we developed and evaluated multivariate whole-brain decoders of romantic love and friendship. Both signatures engaged mesocorticolimbic reward systems and the precuneus, yet were dissociable at the whole-brain level and in their recruitment of social-cognitive systems. The love signature generalized to reward on social media, was specific to positive valence, and did not track sweet-taste or monetary reward, indicating a distinct social-affiliative reward representation. Oxytocin selectively increased love - but not friendship - signature reactivity to the romantic partner. In an independent drug-cue-reactivity dataset, the love signature specifically identified heavy cannabis users. These findings establish a dissociable neurofunctional signature of romantic love in conserved bonding circuits that extend to digital affiliation and are co-opted in addiction.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Dorsal Striatum Silencing Attenuates Light Self-administration in Mice and Its Relevance to Digital technology-based Disorders

Background and aimsSubstance-use addiction models have demonstrated that a progressive transition from reward-guided to habitual and ultimately compulsive behaviour is mediated by a ventral-to-dorsal striatal shift in behavioural control. While symptomatic and neural similarities between substance and digital technology-based disorders have been hypothesised, the causal role of the striatum in the latter remains unknown. We here employ a validated mouse light self-administration paradigm with a loss-of-function approach to determine the role of the dorsal striatum in behavioural persistence towards non-food, non-drug reinforcers. MethodsMice received a control virus or a virus expressing the inhibitory designer receptor (hM4Di) into the dorsal striatum (caudate-putamen). The chemogenetic actuator clozapine N-oxide (CNO) was injected systemically shortly before selected sessions, silencing striatal neuronal firing in vivo in hM4Di-expressing mice. During operant training, lever presses were reinforced by light under fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement (FR1, FR3, and FR5). ResultsOn initial training days, CNO reduced light self-administration in striatal hM4Di-expressing mice. CNO had a negligible effect in control mice under FR3 and FR5 but attenuated responding in hM4Di mice, which showed response recovery on days without CNO. Linear mixed-effects models confirmed an improvement in light self-administration across days, with a stronger detrimental effect of CNO in hM4Di mice. DiscussionDorsal striatum silencing attenuates light self-administration without impairing response acquisition. Thus, like drug self-administration, light self-administration relies partly on dorsal striatal neurons. Our work bridges the gap between animal models and human neuroimaging studies reporting shared brain mechanisms underlying non-drug and drug habits.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2026

A distributed neural architecture of sustained affect across external and internal experience

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWSustained affect shapes well-being, yet its neural architecture across externally elicited and internally generated experience remains unclear. Using whole-brain functional connectivity during minutes-long naturalistic movie viewing, we derived positive and negative affective experience signatures and their underlying neural architecture. These signatures predicted valence-specific affective intensity and generalized to independent movie-viewing data and internally generated affect, discriminating sad memory and rumination from neutral distraction while tracking subjective experience. Importantly, their expression showed little relation to vigilance or cognitive demand. Characterization of these signatures revealed coherent community structure and a shared distributed backbone, alongside valence-preferential components, consistent with a partially separable architecture. Extending beyond experimentally evoked states, in four resting-state depression cohorts, these signatures distinguished patients from controls with reduced positive and elevated negative signature expression, and predicted symptom burden and anhedonia. These findings identify a generalizable distributed architecture bridging external and internal affective experience and extending to clinically relevant affective dysregulation.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Using Light to Establish Habits in Laboratory Mice

Background and aimsPerseverative behaviours are commonly assessed using operant paradigms in which rodents work for drugs or food under physiological deprivation, limiting translational relevance to some behavioural addictions. Here we validated an operant paradigm in which the acquired behaviour is driven neither by physiological needs nor hedonic responses. MethodsMice were trained to lever-press for green light. Exp.1 used a within-subjects design to examine lever discrimination and whether responding could be "satiated" by light preexposure. Exp.2 examined instrumental contingency using a between-subjects design, with light delivery equated between contingent and non-contingent groups. Exp.3 replaced green light with dim red light producing less retinal photoreceptor excitation but comparable heat to assess non-photic cues. Exp.4 examined whether green light could affect food seeking different motivational states. ResultsIn Exp.1, green light supported lever discrimination. Among high responders, the satiation effect was modest (<15% reduction) and did not deter lever pressing. In Exp.2, instrumental contingency promoted response acquisition whereas random light delivery did not. In Exp.3, dim red light failed to sustain behaviour, producing [~]50% response decrement. In Exp.4, light potentiated food seeking under ad libitum feeding. Discussion and conclusionsResponse-contingent light serves as a reward to establish operant responding, which cannot be explained by alerting effects or thermal cues. Our study bridges the gap between animal models and findings from humans that coloured light may exacerbate smartphone use and that light therapy may reshape reward circuits in individuals with Internet gaming disorder symptoms [Li et al. (2026) Advanced Science 13:e14044].

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2026

Shared and distinct default mode systems in mental time travel and affective experience over time

Overarching conceptualizations propose a critical role of the default mode network (DMN) in self-referential mental time travel, particularly in autobiographical memory retrieval and episodic future thinking, and internal (intrinsic) emotion generation and regulation. However, these conceptualizations have not been directly evaluated. Against this background, the present fMRI study aimed to identify both shared and distinct neural systems underlying autobiographical episodic processing across different temporal contexts - specifically, episodic memory retrieval (EMR) and episodic future thinking (EFT) - and to examine how these systems interact with affective experiences, including valence and arousal. Our findings demonstrated the central role of the DMN - encompassing the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and medial temporal lobe (MTL) - in both EMR and EFT. Importantly, we identified a functional dissociation along both valence and temporal dimensions: the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was more strongly associated with positive experiences and simulations, whereas the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) was consistently engaged during the processing of negative affect across past and future contexts. Moreover, representational similarity and parametric analyses indicated that the hippocampus supports differential processing of valence and arousal across temporal domains. Together, these findings provide empirical evidence for the involvement of cortical midline core DMN systems in autobiographical processing across time and suggest overlapping and distinct systems for the integration of emotional experiences across mental time travel.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Plasma proteomics reveal heterogeneous subtypes of depression linked to inflammation and aging

The clinical heterogeneity of depression has defied biological classification, limiting personalized treatment. Previous neuroimaging- or symptom-based subtyping of depression failed to clarify the underlying pathoetiology, while plasma proteins which integrates signals from multiple organ systems, offers a promising way to define biologically grounded subtypes. Using plasma proteomics from 2,127 incident depression cases in a cohort of 53000 individuals, we identified three biologically distinct subtypes differing in inflammation, aging, and metabolic profiles. The most prevalent subtype ( inflammation/ageing) was characterized by aging-related inflammation, poorest prognosis with hippocampal atrophy and highest suicide risk, mediated by age-related amygdala atrophy; this subtype had highest anhedonia burden. A distinct inflammation/energy dysregulation group had metabolic pathway enrichment with high inflammation and lifestyle risk factors (smoking) but no ageing trend, predominantly physical/psychomotor symptoms and decreased thalamic volume. In contrast, the inflammation-resilient group had the lowest inflammatory proteomic loading, lowest depression severity, more resilient lifestyle and increased hippocampal volume. These proteomic signatures, detectable years before symptom onset, enable risk stratification and suggest subtype-specific targeted physical and lifestyle interventions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Real-time functional connectivity-based neurofeedback of the DLPFC-amygdala pathway during threat-exposure attenuates anxiety

BackgroundAdaptive regulation of negative emotion is vital for mental health and dysregulations in this domain contribute to the major mental disorders, including anxiety and depression. On the neural level, efficient emotion regulation has been linked to functional communication between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the amygdala. Gaining voluntary control over this pathway may present an effective strategy for potentiating emotion regulation. ObjectiveAgainst this background, we developed a novel connectivity-based real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback (NF) training that enables individuals to gain volitional control over the DLPFC-amygdala pathway during exposure to threatening stimuli. MethodsThe study employed a pre-registered, randomized, sham-controlled design with the experimental group (n = 22) receiving real-time NF information on connectivity between the right DLPFC and the amygdala during threat exposure and the sham control group (n = 23) receiving connectivity NF from a circuit not related to emotion regulation. The ability to maintain regulatory control in the absence of feedback was assessed after four NF runs. Primary outcomes included functional connectivity of the target pathway, as well as anxiety scores. ResultsThe results demonstrate that successful acquisition of self-regulation of the rDLPFC-amygdala top-down regulatory circuit in the experimental NF group facilitated attenuation of anxiety. ConclusionIn summary, our findings suggest that real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-NF) allows to volitionally enhance rDLPFC-amygdala connectivity, and in turn reduces negative emotional states, rendering the training a promising neurotechnology intervention for mental disorders.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Distinct neural moderators of resilience and vulnerability confer heterogeneous outcomes following early-life adversity

Early-life adversity (ELA) increases risk for psychiatric disorders, but outcomes are highly variable. Using multimodal neuroimaging and computational moderation in large adolescent cohorts, we systematically identify brain features that buffer or amplify effects of three ELA subtypes--familial interpersonal, non-familial interpersonal, and non-interpersonal adversity--on transdiagnostic psychopathology. Multimodal neural moderators were subtype- and pathology dimension-specific, revealing distinct neurobiological mechanisms moderating heterogeneous outcomes. Protective features clustered in limbic, sensory integration, and regulatory circuits (amygdala, parietal cortex, anterior cingulate), while vulnerability features concentrated in frontotemporal circuits. Individual features and a new Relative Resilience Index (RRI)--reflecting the individual balance between protective and vulnerability features across the whole-brain--prospectively predicted psychopathological progression over two years, linking brain signatures to future mental health trajectories. Findings establish the brain as dynamic moderator of distinct adversity effects and introduce a system-level marker for risk stratification, advancing mechanistic precision in youth mental health and guiding early intervention.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Summer and autumn photosynthetic activity in High Arctic biological soil crusts and their winter recovery

IntroductionBiological soil crusts, found in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide, play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. This study analysed biocrusts from three different altitudes in Svalbard (High Arctic) in 2022-2024. Methods and ResultsMonitoring of microclimatic parameters, including irradiance, humidity, air, and soil temperature revealed unexpected extremes at the lowest elevation site. Molecular methods were used to determine the diversity of microalgae, revealing the presence of Trebouxiophyceae and Chlorophyceae as the dominant eukaryotic algal groups. Among the cyanobacteria, the dominant taxonomical groups were Nostocales, Pseudanabaenales, and Oscillatoriales. Measured photosynthetic activity was largely driven by irradiance across the different seasons and locations. Higher maximum quantum yield (FV/FM) values (approximately 0.6) were measured at lower irradiance levels (<100 {micro}mol m-2 s-1). Photosynthetic activity was observed in early October 2022, and diurnal changes were even noticeable at subzero temperatures in late October 2023, with the low irradiance curve being mirrored by the development of FV/FM. Furthermore, thawed biocrusts in winter exhibited the ability to rapidly restore photosynthetic activity, which was also supported by the expression of photosynthesis-related genes. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that the differential gene expression observed for the D1, RbcS, Ohp1, and ELIP proteins suggests that light stress induced photoinhibition plays a major role in biocrusts, particularly in winter. ConclusionThe biocrusts can remain active for extended periods and provide carbon fixation during times when tundra plants primarily engage in respiration, making them very important for the polar environment.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Disgust propensity, not disgust sensitivity, shapes the reactivity of a subjective disgust circuit in humans

Disgust constitutes an evolutionary adaptive defensive-avoidance response, yet humans vary markedly in their dispositional tendency to experience disgust (disgust propensity) and in their negative appraisal of such experience (disgust sensitivity). Conceptual frameworks and neuroimaging studies suggest that these traits may differentially modulate neural responses to disgust-eliciting stimuli; however, methodological constraints have left their precise roles unresolved. Our comparably large fMRI study (n = 142) therefore aimed to systematically determine how trait disgust modulates neural responses to carefully selected and validated disgust-specific visual stimuli across varying levels of subjective disgust experience. The whole-brain voxel-wise regression analyses revealed a neural dissociation between the two disgust traits, with disgust propensity, but not disgust sensitivity, modulating disgust-related neural activity in the anterior, middle, and posterior insula, as well as the caudate, putamen, thalamus, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus. Mediation and network-level analyses further supported this dissociation by showing that disgust propensity shapes disgust experience via insula - striatal - hippocampal pathways. Together, these findings provide evidence for a neurofunctional dissociation of disgust propensity and sensitivity and elucidate how trait disgust shapes subjective experiences. They further suggest that disgust propensity and the identified systems may represent promising targets for the regulation of disgust-related pathology.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

A functional anatomical shift from the lateral frontal pole to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in emotion action control underpins elevated levels of anxiety: partial replication and generalization of Bramson et al., 2023

Flexible control over emotional behavior represents a promising target for novel interventions for mental disorders. Accumulating evidence has indicated a key role of the lateral frontal pole (FPl) and its connections with other cortical and subcortical systems in emotional action regulation. A recent study from Bramson et al., (2023) employed a multi-modal neuroimaging approach to demonstrate a functional-anatomical shift from FPI to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in a sample of anxious individuals during emotional action control. While these findings might represent a venue for interventions in anxiety disorders, conventional neuroimaging strategies are often limited with respect to generalizability and reproducibility. Against this background we capitalized previous large-scale fMRI data in n = 250 participants using an affective linguistic Go/NoGo paradigm to examine the robustness of the reported associations with trait social anxiety across samples, cultures and paradigms. Additionally, context-dependent functional connectivity patterns were explored to examine action control in different emotional contexts. In line with previous study, we found no difference between high- and non-anxious group on the behavioral congruency-effect. The neural results showed that non-social anxious group engaged the left FPl while the high-social anxious group specifically recruited the DLPFC, however in the absence of significant between-group differences. Importantly, the level of trait social anxiety was significantly positively related with DLPFC activity and negatively with left FPl activation across groups. Furthermore, context-dependent functional connectivity analyses revealed a negative context-specific neural shift from the sgACC-FPl to sgACC-DLPFC specifically in the high anxiety group. Together, the present study employed a different task paradigm, population and analytic methods, partially replicated the findings described by Bramson et al., (2023) and additionally determined context-specific changes in the communication with the sgACC in high anxiety. The findings provide further evidence for target-based interventions of persistent emotional control deficits in anxiety disorders.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Distinct Connectivity Signatures of Emotions Enhance Precision of Network Biomarkers in Mood Disorders

Mood disorders, including Major Depressive (MDD) and Bipolar (BD) Disorder, are highly prevalent and debilitating conditions that contribute significantly to the global disease burden. These disorders are characterized by persistent emotional dysregulations, such as pervasive sadness and anhedonia, resulting in substantial functional impairments. Although neuroimaging studies have identified differences in brain activity and connectivity between individuals with MDD (MDDs) or BD (BDs) and healthy controls (HCs), reliable and reproducible neurofunctional markers for clinical diagnosis and treatment remain elusive. This study seeks to address this gap by introducing a novel approach that utilizes Divergent Emotional Functional Networks (DEFN), derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during dynamic emotional processing in naturalistic contexts. Using a combination of naturalistic induction of sustained emotional experience with dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) and machine learning techniques, we decoded emotion-specific patterns of happiness and sadness in healthy individuals. Based on the dynamic functional connectivity signatures, we identify the DEFN and applied it to large clinical mood disorder datasets, including MDD (n=63) and BD patients (n=61). The model with DEFN demonstrated significant improvements in classification accuracy compared to conventional baseline models, achieving up to 10.75% and 9.92% performance increases in MDD and BD datasets, respectively. Additionally, DEFN were found to be highly reproducible across age, gender and models from emotion dataset, supporting the robustness of this model in distinguishing mood disorders from healthy controls. In conclusion, the DEFN approach presents a promising, reproducible, and clinically relevant neural marker for diagnosing and understanding emotional dysfunction in mood disorders, offering potential for more effective and timely interventions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Does Unfairness Evoke Anger or Disgust? A Quantitative Neurofunctional Dissection Based on 25 Years of Neuroimaging

Over the last decades, the traditional Homo economicus model has been increasingly challenged by convergent evidence underscoring the impact of emotions on decision-making. A classic example is the perception of unfairness operationalized in the Ultimatum Game where humans readily sacrifice personal gains to punish those who violate fairness norms. While the emotional mechanism underlying costly punishments has been widely acknowledged, the distinct contributions of moral emotions (anger or disgust) remain debated, partly due to methodological limitations of the conventional experiments. Here, we capitalize on a quantitative neurofunctional dissection approach by combining recent developments in neuroimaging meta-analyses, behavioral-level, network-level, and neurochemical-level decoding and data from 3,266 participants from functional neuroimaging studies to determine the common and distinct neural representations between unfairness and the two moral emotions. Experience of unfairness engaged a widespread bilateral network encompassing insular, cingulate, and frontal regions, with dorsal striatal regions mediating the decision to reject unfair offers. Disgust engaged a defensive-avoidance circuit encompassing amygdalar, occipital, and frontal regions, while anger engaged non-overlapping systems including mid-cingulate, thalamic, and frontal regions. Unfairness and anger or disgust respectively commonly engaged the anterior and mid-insula, while the latter additionally showed common recruitment of ventrolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices. Multimodal network, behavioral, and serotonergic decoding provided a more granular and convincing dissection of these results. Findings indicate a shared neuroaffective basis underlying the impact of emotions on unfairness-induced punishment behavior and suggest a common brain circuit has been evolutionarily shaped to protect individuals from personal harm and enforce societal norms.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

State and trait serotonin variations interact to shape the intrinsic connectivity and gradient architecture of the brain: a combined TPH2 genetics and tryptophan depletion study

BackgroundSerotonin (5-HT) critically regulates cognitive and emotional functions, and both stable and transient variations in 5-HT signaling have been associated with emotional dysregulations. However, findings regarding the neurofunctional effects of transient 5-HT variations have been highly inconsistent. Therefore, we examined whether individual variations in a central 5-HT-regulating genetic polymorphism (tryptophan hydroxylase 2, TPH2) represent a vulnerability or resilience factor for the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on functional brain architecture. MethodThe current study utilized a pharmacogenetic within-subject randomized placebo-controlled resting-state fMRI design with n=53 healthy male participants in combination with spontaneous intrinsic neural activity, functional connectivity, and connectome gradient analyses to compare the neurofunctional effects of ATD-induced transient reduction in central 5-HT signaling between TPH2 genotypes (a priori genotyping for rs4570625, GG n = 25 vs. TT n = 23). ResultsATD induced significant increases in spontaneous neural activity in hippocampal CA1 irrespective of genotype and enhanced communication of this region with the bilateral amygdala and the vmPFC specifically in GG carriers. ATD sharpened the intrinsic connectome gradient architecture in several large-scale networks, including the salience, frontoparietal, and default mode network. ConclusionsOur results identify a potential genetic marker for an increased vulnerability to the neural effects of transient variations in 5-HT signaling on the functional architecture of an anxiety- and stress-related brain circuit. Connectome gradient results underscore the regulatory role of 5-HT on the intricate organization of large-scale networks involved in emotional reactivity and regulation.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

A neurofunctional signature of affective arousal generalizes across valence domains and distinguishes subjective experience from autonomic reactivity

Arousal is fundamental for affective experience and, together with valence, defines the core affective space. Precise brain models of affective arousal are lacking, leading to continuing debates of whether the neural systems generalize across valence domains and are separable from those underlying autonomic arousal or wakefulness. Here, we combined naturalistic fMRI with predictive modeling to develop a brain affective arousal signature (BAAS, discovery-validation design, n=60, 36). We demonstrate its (1) sensitivity and generalizability across mental processes and valence, and (2) neural distinction from autonomic arousal, wakefulness, and stimulation modality (24 studies, n=868). Affective arousal was encoded in distributed cortical-subcortical (e.g., prefrontal, PAG) systems with local similarities in thalamo-amygdala-insula systems between affective and autonomous arousal. We demonstrate application of the BAAS to improve specificity of established valence-specific neuromarkers. Our study provides a biologically plausible model for affective arousal that aligns with the affective space and has a high application potential.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Disruption of sustained attention and orbitofrontal cortex engagement by incoming social media messages vary as a function of problematic social media use

BackgroundSmartphones and social media have become ubiquitous in our lives, and while debates about their negative impact on mental health, addictive potential, and disruptive effects on daily activities have surged, neurobiological evidence remains scarce. Here, we investigated whether the behavioral and neural effects of interference of continuous attention by incoming social media messages on WeChat varies according to its problematic use as assessed via an addiction framework. MethodsN = 60 healthy individuals were stratified based on their level of problematic WeChat usage as measured by the WeChat Addiction Scale (WAS): LOW (15 males and 15 females) and HIGH (15 males and 15 females) addictive tendencies. Participants underwent an AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) with WeChat-associated (incoming message) and neutral auditory distractors as well as a no distractor condition. Concurrent functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) assessments of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were implemented to determine the underlying neurofunctional mechanisms. ResultsOn the behavioral level the HIGH group demonstrated faster reaction times during the WeChat and no distractor condition compared to the LOW group. Exploratory analyses indicated that the WeChat distraction decreased left lateral OFC activity in the LOW but enhanced activity in this region in the HIGH group. ConclusionAgainst our hypotheses WeChat distraction enhanced behavioral performance specially in individual with a tendency for problematic WeChat use, with the neural data pointing to less suppression of the OFC in individuals with a tendency for problematic usage. Findings underscore the complexity of the potential effects of new technology on daily live and indicate that addiction models might not be simply extendable to problematic social media usage.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Signatures of social pain empathy: general and process-specific brain-wide representations of social exclusion and separation

Empathy can be elicited by physiological pain, as well as in social contexts. Although physiological and different social contexts induce a strong subjective experience of empathy, the general and context-specific neural representations remain elusive. Here, we combine fMRI with multivariate pattern analysis to establish neurofunctional models for pain empathy triggered by social exclusion and separation. Our findings revealed both overlapping and distinct neural representations for social exclusion and separation empathy across cortical and subcortical regions. This study established an evolutionary model that traces the progression from social pain to physiological pain empathy. In conclusion, this study establishes neural decoding models for pain empathy evoked by social exclusion and social separation, revealing their neural foundations and interconnectedness of empathy induced by social and physiological stimuli. These findings deepen our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying social pain empathy and provide robust neuromarkers to precisely evaluate empathy across physiological and social domains.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Distinct neural computations scale the violation of expected reward and emotion in social transgressions

Traditional decision-making models conceptualize humans as optimal learners aiming to maximize outcomes by leveraging reward prediction errors (PE). While violated emotional expectations (emotional PEs) have recently been formalized, the underlying neurofunctional basis and whether it differs from reward PEs remain unclear. Using a modified fMRI Ultimatum Game on n=43 participants we modelled reward and emotional PEs in response to unfair offers and subsequent punishment decisions. Computational modelling revealed distinct contributions of reward and emotional PEs to punishment decisions, with reward PE exerting a stronger impact. This process was neurofunctionally dissociable such that (1) reward engaged the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex while emotional experience recruited the anterior insula, (2) multivariate decoding accurately separated reward and emotional PEs. Predictive neural expressions of reward but not emotional PEs in fronto-insular systems predicted neurofunctional and behavioral punishment decisions. Overall, these findings suggest distinct neurocomputational processes underlie reward and emotional PEs which uniquely impact social decisions.

neuroscience↗