Cited by 50Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCircadian rhythm and melatonin

Time-of-day differences and short-term stability of the neural response to monetary reward: A pilot study

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Hasler, Brant P., Forbes, Erika E., Franzen, Peter L.·2014·Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging

Abstract

Human and animal studies indicate that reward function is modulated by the circadian clock that governs our daily sleep/wake rhythm. For example, a robust circadian rhythm exists in positive affect, which is lower in the morning hours and peaks in the afternoon. A handful of functional neuroimaging studies suggest that systematic diurnal variation exists in brain activity related to other functions, but no published human studies have examined daily variation in the neural processing of reward. In the present study, we attempt to advance this literature by using functional neuroimaging methods to examine time-of-day changes in the responsivity of the reward circuit. Using a within-person design and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) monetary reward task, we compared morning and afternoon reward-related brain activation in a sample of healthy young adults within 24h. Region of interest analyses focused on the striatum, and we hypothesized greater reward activation in the afternoon, concordant with the circadian peak in positive affect. Results were consistent with our hypothesis. In addition, we counterbalanced the order of morning and afternoon scans in order to explore the short-term stability of the neural response. Whole-brain analyses showed a markedly higher reactivity to reward throughout the brain in the first scan relative to the second scan, consistent with habituation to the monetary reward stimuli. However, these effects did not appear to explain the time-of-day findings. In summary, we report the first preliminary evidence of circadian variation in the neural processing of reward. These findings have both methodological and theoretical implications.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.07.005

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  • Functional MRI studies reveal that activation (glucose uptake) of striatal and prefrontal brain regions during monetary reward tasks is greater in the afternoon or evening than in the morning in late adolescents and young adults (aged 19-24 years), and is related to morningness and eveningness chronotypes in adults.

    “Functional MRI studies reveal that the activation (that is, glucose uptake) of striatal and prefrontal brain regions during monetary reward tasks is greater in the afternoon or evening than in the morning in late adolescents and young adults (aged 19–24 years)177, and is related to morningness and eveningness chronotypes in adults178.”

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Authors
Hasler, B. P., Forbes, E. E., & Franzen, P. L.
Affiliations
University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Hasler, Brant P.
Venue
Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-10
Volume
224
Issue
1
Pages
22-27
ISSN
0925-4927 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2141709103
Cited by
50
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
FWCI
2.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh
  • National Institutes of Health (K01 MH077106, K01 DA 032557)
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 › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords
circadian rhythm, diurnal variation, monetary rewards, reward processing, striatum, positive affect, habituation, within-person design
MeSH terms
Adult, Affect, Brain, Circadian Rhythm, Corpus Striatum, Female, Humans, Income, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Pilot Projects, Reward, Sleep, Wakefulness, Young Adult, Circadian Clocks, Functional Neuroimaging

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