Neural correlates of preferred activities: development of an interest-specific go/nogo task. Issue 12 (25th October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bos, Dienke J; Ajodan, Eliana L; Silverman, Melanie R; Dyke, Jonathan P; Durston, Sarah; Power, Jonathan D; Jones, Rebecca M
• Is Part Of: Social cognitive and affective neuroscience. Volume 12:Issue 12(2017)
• Page Start: 1890
• Page End: 1901
• Publication Date: 2017-10-25
• Subjects: motivational cues -- interests -- impulse control -- go/nogo task -- fMRI -- anterior insula; Neurosciences -- Periodicals; Cognitive neuroscience -- Periodicals; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; 612.8205
• DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx127
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1749-5016

Abstract

Abstract: The activities we choose to spend our leisure time with are intrinsically motivating and vary across individuals. Yet it is unknown how impulse control or neural activity changes when processing a preferred stimulus related to a hobby or interest. Developing a task that assesses the response to preferred interests is of importance as it would be relevant to a range of psychiatric disorders that have hyper- or hypo-arousal to such cues. During functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), 39 healthy adults completed a novel task to test approach behavior and cognitive control to cues that were personalized to the participants' interests compared to stimuli the participants identified as being of non-interest and colored shapes. fMRI results showed that cues of one's interest elicited activation in the anterior insula compared to colored shapes. Interests did not change inhibition compared to non-interests and colored shapes and all stimuli equally engaged a frontostriatal circuit. Together the results suggest that adults were sensitive to their interests but were effective at regulating their impulses towards these cues, a skill that is critical for navigating the temptations and distractions in our daily environment.