Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex encodes the integrated incentive motivational value of cognitive task performance

Debbie M. Yee, Jennifer L. Crawford, Bidhan Lamichhane, Todd S. Braver

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Humans can seamlessly combine value signals from diverse motivational incentives, yet it is not well understood how these signals are "bundled" in the brain to modulate cognitive control. The dorsal ACC (dACC) is theorized to integrate motivational value dimensions in the service of goal-directed action, although this hypothesis has yet to receive rigorous confirmation. In the present study, we examined the role of human dACC in motivational incentive integration. Healthy young adult men and women were scanned with fMRI while engaged in an experimental paradigm that quantifies the combined effects of liquid (e.g., juice, neutral, saltwater) and monetary incentives on cognitive task performance. Monetary incentives modulated trial-by-trial dACC activation, whereas block-related effects of liquid incentives on dACC activity were observed. When bundled together, incentive-related dACC modulation predicted fluctuations in both cognitive performance and self-report motivation ratings. Statistical mediation analyses suggest that dACC encoded the incentives in terms of their integrated subjective motivational value, and that this value signal was most proximally associated with task performance. Finally, we confirmed that these incentive integration effects were selectively present in dACC. Together, the results support an account in which dACC integrates motivational signals to compute the expected value of goal-directed cognitive control.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3707-3720
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume41
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 21 2021

Keywords

  • Cognitive control
  • DACC
  • Incentive integration
  • Motivation
  • Reward
  • Value

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