Mapping the interconnected neural systems underlying motivation and emotion: A key step toward understanding the human affectome. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cromwell, Howard C.; Abe, Nobuhito; Barrett, Karen C.; Caldwell-Harris, Catherine; Gendolla, Guido H.E.; Koncz, Rebecca; Sachdev, Perminder S.
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 113(2020)
• Page Start: 204
• Page End: 226
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Action -- Affect -- Basal ganglia -- Culture -- Development -- Reward -- Social neuroscience; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.032
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: Emotion and motivation are crucial psychological processes. Typical neural perspectives focus on emotion or motivation not both. New views of integration emphasize merging functionality and brain basis of emotion and motivation. Key brain regions and circuits of functional integration are explored. A broad analysis including cognitive, social and cultural influences on these merged or segregated functions is addressed. Abstract: As a part of a larger Affectome Project (http://neuroqualia.org/background.php ) with an overarching goal of mapping and redefining biological substrates of feelings and emotions, we explored the neural underpinnings for the functions of motivation and emotion. Historically emotion and motivation have been placed into distinct neural circuits and examined separately. We propose a novel view of significant neural convergence of emotion and motivation, in contrast to conventional neural-based frameworks emphasizing segregation. Evidence from diverse research areas in emotion and motivation was reviewed, pinpointing key neural regions of overlap. The findings support important neural sharing between emotion and motivation, suggesting that these two functions are tightly intertwined with one another in the brain. Neural overlap does not necessarily imply continuous functional overlap. Even if identical brain regions/systems are activated for motivation and emotion, this activation may involve distinct and unique patterns of connection and information flow as the network shifts functionality. This review highlights the crucial importance of further research to explicate the patterns and modes of responding of these overlapping systems.