A corticostriatal pathway mediating self-efficacy enhancement.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Self-efficacy, or belief in one's ability to succeed, is vital for motivation and well-being.
• Positive social feedback is crucial for self-efficacy, but individuals vary in how they integrate this feedback (positive bias).
• Diminished positive bias is linked to mood and anxiety disorders, yet its neural underpinnings are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying how positive social feedback enhances self-efficacy.
• To examine the relationship between positive bias in self-efficacy updating and psychological well-being.

Main Methods:

• A behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.
• Participants delivered a public speech and received fictitious positive or neutral feedback during fMRI scanning.
• Self-efficacy was assessed by participants' evaluation of their actual and expected performance before and after feedback.

Main Results:

• Reduced positive bias in updating self-efficacy based on positive social feedback correlated with a psychopathological dimension (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem).
• Neural analysis revealed that a positive self-efficacy update bias was associated with increased reward responses in the ventral striatum (VS).
• Stronger coupling between the VS and a temporoparietal region involved in self-processing was observed in individuals with a positive bias.

Conclusions:

• A specific corticostriatal circuit facilitates positive bias in self-efficacy updating influenced by social feedback.
• This positive bias is central to emotional well-being and may be disrupted in mood and anxiety disorders.
• Findings provide neural insights into how social feedback shapes self-perception and its link to mental health.