Differentiating stages of reward responsiveness: Neurophysiological measures and associations with facets of the...

The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) positive valence systems domain include multiple aspects of reward responsiveness with potential to elucidate the understanding of motivational and hedonic deficits in psychological disorders. There is a need for reliable and valid methods to delineate behavioral and biological processes underlying stages of reward responsiveness. Event-related potentials (ERPs) offer a promising method for examining the temporal dynamics of reward processing, but the literature has mainly focused on the feedback stage and often single components. We investigated the electrophysiological aspects of reward anticipation and initial response to reward using an ERP monetary incentive delay task in 114 emerging adults. Principal component analysis was used to derive temporally and spatially distinct ERP components sensitive to reward processing. Components that reflect initial engagement toward a cue indicating potential reward (cue-P3) and anticipation of possible reward feedback (stimulus-preceding negativity; SPN) emerged in the anticipatory stage. In the initial response to reward stage, a reward positivity (RewP) was found. We further tested the association between ERPs and self-reported facets of the behavioral activation system. Greater self-reported reward responsiveness was associated with heightened response in the anticipatory stage (i.e., cue-P3, SPN). Self-reported drive was positively associated with RewP, but fun-seeking was negatively associated with RewP. Additional components were observed beyond those identified in prior work, warranting future research on temporal dynamics of reward processing across stages. Furthermore, examination of a broader range of reward-related ERPs in clinical populations has the potential to more precisely characterize alterations in positive valence systems in psychopathology.