Performing a Motor Action Enhances Social Reward Processing and Modulates the Neural Processing of Predictive Cues.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Social Neuroscience
• Neuroscience of Reward

Background:

• Associative learning underpins human behavior, with prior work showing motor actions enhance neural responses to monetary rewards.
• Social anhedonia is prevalent in psychiatric disorders, raising questions about whether action-dependent reward enhancement extends to social feedback.
• Understanding the interplay between action, reward processing, and associative learning is crucial for addressing social deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if performing an action enhances neural responses to social rewards and modulates associative learning.
• To examine the impact of action versus passivity on the brain's processing of social reward and punishment cues.
• To explore the neural mechanisms underlying action-dependent modulation of social feedback anticipation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel task where participants (n=66) received social reward/punishment feedback contingent on active (button press) or passive (waiting) trials.
• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural responses to predictive cues and social feedback.
• Performed connectivity analyses (theta synchronization) to assess top-down attentional modulation.

Main Results:

• An enhanced reward positivity (RewP) was observed for action-elicited social rewards compared to passive reception.
• An enhanced N2 component was found for cues predicting negative feedback, particularly in active trials.
• Cue-locked P3 amplitude was reduced for negative feedback cues in passive trials only, indicating action-dependent modulation of outcome anticipation.

Conclusions:

• Actively obtaining social feedback amplifies reward sensitivity, demonstrating a generalization of action-enhanced reward processing to the social domain.
• Performing a motor action modulates the anticipation of social outcomes, influencing neural responses to predictive cues.
• Increased theta synchronization in active trials suggests enhanced top-down attentional control during action-dependent social feedback acquisition.