Publication

Perceived stress predicts altered reward and loss feedback processing in medial prefrontal cortex

Downloadable Content

Persistent URL
Last modified
  • 05/15/2025
Type of Material
Authors
    Michael Treadway, Emory UniversityJoshua W. Buckholtz, Harvard UniversityDavid H. Zald, Vanderbilt University
Language
  • English
Date
  • 2013-04-22
Publisher
  • Frontiers Media
Publication Version
Copyright Statement
  • © 2013 Treadway Buckholtz and Zald.
License
Final Published Version (URL)
Title of Journal or Parent Work
ISSN
  • 1662-5161
Volume
  • 7
Issue
  • APR 2013
Start Page
  • 180
Grant/Funding Information
  • This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA019670-04) to David H. Zald and the National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH087015-01) to Michael T. Treadway.
Abstract
  • Stress is significant risk factor for the development of psychopathology, particularly symptoms related to reward processing. Importantly, individuals display marked variation in how they perceive and cope with stressful events, and such differences are strongly linked to risk for developing psychiatric symptoms following stress exposure. However, many questions remain regarding the neural architecture that underlies inter-subject variability in perceptions of stressors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a monetary incentive delay paradigm, we examined the effects of self-reported perceived stress levels on neural activity during reward anticipation and feedback in a sample of healthy individuals. We found that subjects reporting more uncontrollable and overwhelming stressors displayed blunted neural responses in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) following feedback related to monetary gains as well monetary losses. This is consistent with preclinical models that implicate the mPFC as a key site of vulnerability to the noxious effects of uncontrollable stressors. Our data help translate these findings to humans, and elucidate some of the neural mechanisms that may underlie stress-linked risk for developing reward-related psychiatric symptoms.
Author Notes
  • Correspondence: Michael T. Treadway, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 234 de Marneffe, Room 231, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 021478, USA. e-mail: mtreadway@mclean.harvard.edu
Keywords
Research Categories
  • Psychology, General
  • Biology, Neuroscience

Tools

Relations

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title File Description Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Publication File - tqq1k.pdf Primary Content 2025-03-25 Public Download