Novelty increases the mesolimbic functional connectivity of the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) during reward anticipation: Evidence from high-resolution fMRI
Abstract
Reward and novelty are potent learning signals that critically rely on dopaminergic midbrain responses. Recent findings suggest that although reward and novelty are likely to interact, both functions may be subserved by distinct neuronal clusters. We used high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to isolate neural responses to reward and novelty within the human substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) complex to investigate the spatial delineation and integration of reward- and novelty-related activity clusters. We demonstrate that distinct clusters within the caudal portion of the medial SN/VTA and the lateral portion of the right SN are predominantly modulated by the anticipation of reward, while a more rostral part of the medial SN/VTA was exclusively modulated by novelty. In addition, the caudal medial SN/VTA cluster embodied an interaction between novelty and reward where novelty selectively increased reward-anticipation responses. This interaction, in turn, was paralleled by differences in the functional-connectivity patterns of these SN/VTA regions. Specifically, novel as compared to familiar reward-predictive stimuli increased the functional connectivity of the medial SN/VTA with mesolimbic regions, including the nucleus accumbens and the hippocampus, as well as with the primary visual cortex. This functional correlation may highlight how afferents of the medial SN/VTA provide integrative information about novelty and reward, or, alternativ…
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Midbrain DA neurons in the SN/VTA respond to both novelty and reward.
“As midbrain DA neurons in the SN/VTA respond to both novelty and reward62–64, we contrasted new and rewarding stimuli against familiar and nonrewarding stimuli.”
From Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger (2020) · cites this paper as [62]
SN/VTA activity is sensitive to novelty.
“The stimuli were images of strangers, rather than images of the participant’s own friends and family, to (1) match the food and control images for novelty, because SN/VTA activity is sensitive to novelty62, (2) match image quality across conditions and participants, and (3) avoid unmeasured variability in the quality or current status of participants’ relationships with specific individuals.”
From Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger (2020) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Krebs, R. M., Heipertz, D., Schuetze, H., & Duzel, E.
- Affiliations
- Duke University (US)
- Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Krebs, R.M.
- ORCID
- Krebs, R.M.
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-09
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 647-655
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1981365366
- Cited by
- 135
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 3.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 779, TP A7)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Keywords
- novelty, reward anticipation, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, mesolimbic system, functional connectivity, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, primary visual cortex, dopaminergic midbrain, reward learning, memory
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain Mapping, Cues, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Environment, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Limbic System, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neural Pathways, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Reward, Substantia Nigra, Visual Cortex, Ventral Tegmental Area, Young Adult, Anticipation, Psychological
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