Reactivation of Reward-Related Patterns from Single Past Episodes Supports Memory-Based Decision Making
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Reactivation of Reward-Related Patterns from Single Past Episodes Supports Memory-Based Decision Making. / Wimmer, George Elliot; Büchel, Christian.
In: J NEUROSCI, Vol. 36, No. 10, 09.03.2016, p. 2868-80.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Reactivation of Reward-Related Patterns from Single Past Episodes Supports Memory-Based Decision Making
AU - Wimmer, George Elliot
AU - Büchel, Christian
N1 - Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/362868-13$15.00/0.
PY - 2016/3/9
Y1 - 2016/3/9
N2 - Rewarding experiences exert a strong influence on later decision making. While decades of neuroscience research have shown how reinforcement gradually shapes preferences, decisions are often influenced by single past experiences. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about the influence of single learning episodes. Although recent work has proposed a role for episodes in decision making, it is largely unknown whether and how episodic experiences contribute to value-based decision making and how the values of single episodes are represented in the brain. In multiple behavioral experiments and an fMRI experiment, we tested whether and how rewarding episodes could support later decision making. Participants experienced episodes of high reward or low reward in conjunction with incidental, trial-unique neutral pictures. In a surprise test phase, we found that participants could indeed remember the associated level of reward, as evidenced by accurate source memory for value and preferences to re-engage with rewarded objects. Further, in a separate experiment, we found that high-reward objects shown as primes before a gambling task increased financial risk taking. Neurally, re-exposure to objects in the test phase led to significant reactivation of reward-related patterns. Importantly, individual variability in the strength of reactivation predicted value memory performance. Our results provide a novel demonstration that affect-related neural patterns are reactivated during later experience. Reactivation of value information represents a mechanism by which memory can guide decision making.
AB - Rewarding experiences exert a strong influence on later decision making. While decades of neuroscience research have shown how reinforcement gradually shapes preferences, decisions are often influenced by single past experiences. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about the influence of single learning episodes. Although recent work has proposed a role for episodes in decision making, it is largely unknown whether and how episodic experiences contribute to value-based decision making and how the values of single episodes are represented in the brain. In multiple behavioral experiments and an fMRI experiment, we tested whether and how rewarding episodes could support later decision making. Participants experienced episodes of high reward or low reward in conjunction with incidental, trial-unique neutral pictures. In a surprise test phase, we found that participants could indeed remember the associated level of reward, as evidenced by accurate source memory for value and preferences to re-engage with rewarded objects. Further, in a separate experiment, we found that high-reward objects shown as primes before a gambling task increased financial risk taking. Neurally, re-exposure to objects in the test phase led to significant reactivation of reward-related patterns. Importantly, individual variability in the strength of reactivation predicted value memory performance. Our results provide a novel demonstration that affect-related neural patterns are reactivated during later experience. Reactivation of value information represents a mechanism by which memory can guide decision making.
KW - Adult
KW - Brain
KW - Cues
KW - Decision Making
KW - Feedback, Psychological
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
KW - Male
KW - Memory
KW - Oxygen
KW - Pain
KW - Reaction Time
KW - Reinforcement (Psychology)
KW - Reward
KW - Risk-Taking
KW - Statistics, Nonparametric
KW - Young Adult
U2 - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3433-15.2016
DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3433-15.2016
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 26961943
VL - 36
SP - 2868
EP - 2880
JO - J NEUROSCI
JF - J NEUROSCI
SN - 0270-6474
IS - 10
ER -