Cited by 132Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Reward Motivation Enhances Task Coding in Frontoparietal Cortex

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Etzel, Joset A., Cole, Michael W., Zacks, Jeffrey M., Kay, Kendrick N., Braver, Todd S.·2016·Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

Reward motivation often enhances task performance, but the neural mechanisms underlying such cognitive enhancement remain unclear. Here, we used a multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) approach to test the hypothesis that motivation-related enhancement of cognitive control results from improved encoding and representation of task set information. Participants underwent two fMRI sessions of cued task switching, the first under baseline conditions, and the second with randomly intermixed reward incentive and no-incentive trials. Information about the upcoming task could be successfully decoded from cue-related activation patterns in a set of frontoparietal regions typically associated with task control. More critically, MVPA classifiers trained on the baseline session had significantly higher decoding accuracy on incentive than non-incentive trials, with decoding improvement mediating reward-related enhancement of behavioral performance. These results strongly support the hypothesis that reward motivation enhances cognitive control, by improving the discriminability of task-relevant information coded and maintained in frontoparietal brain regions.

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Crossref · 10.1093/cercor/bhu327

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  • Changes in processing may be mediated by an enhancement of endogenous task-set representations in frontoparietal regions, which promotes task performance either more broadly or selectively depending on task demands.

    “Recent evidence shows that these changes in processing may be mediated by an enhancement of endogenous task-set representations in frontoparietal regions (Etzel et al., 2015; Wisniewski et al., 2015), which promotes task performance either more broadly or selectively, depending on the specific task demands.”

    From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Etzel et al., 2015

    The Abstract and Discussion report that reward incentives improved decoding of task-set information in frontoparietal regions and that this improvement statistically mediated better performance in a cued task-switching experiment (Discussion, p. 1655). The paper does not establish that performance is promoted broadly or selectively depending on task demands; that extends beyond the condition it tested. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Stronger task-set representations in frontoparietal regions due to incentive reward predicted higher accuracy on the task.

    “More specifically, stronger task-set representations (measured as higher classification accuracy) in frontoparietal regions due to incentive reward predicted higher accuracy on the task (Etzel et al., 2015).”

    From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Etzel et al., 2015

  • Better task decoding, as demonstrated by higher multivoxel pattern analysis classification accuracy, mediated changes in behavioral performance due to incentive reward.

    “Critically, it was shown that better task decoding, as demonstrated by higher multivoxel pattern analysis classification accuracy, mediated changes in behavioral performance due to incentive reward.”

    From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Etzel et al., 2015

  • Neuroimaging studies demonstrated more accurate decoding of task-set representations in frontoparietal regions on reward relative to no reward trials.

    “Concurring evidence for this notion comes from recent neuroimaging studies that demonstrated more accurate decoding of task-set representations in frontoparietal regions on reward relative to no reward trials (Etzel, Cole, Zacks, Kay, & Braver, 2015; Wisniewski, Reverberi, Momennejad, Kahnt, & Haynes, 2015).”

    From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Etzel et al., 2015

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Parthasarathy S, Liu B, Goethals B, Pei J, Kamath C, editors. Proceedings of the 2010 SIAM International Conference on Data Mining, p. 677-688, Philadelphia, PA.

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Authors
Etzel, J. A., Cole, M. W., Zacks, J. M., Kay, K. N., & Braver, T. S.
Affiliations
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
Corresponding author
Etzel, Joset A.
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Published
2015-01-19
Volume
26
Issue
4
Pages
1647-1659
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
OpenAlex
W2141594097
Cited by
132
References
94
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5
FWCI
8.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1s10rr022984-01a1)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG031150)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R37MH066078)
  • National Center for Research Resources (S10 RR022984, 1S10RR022984-01A1)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
reward motivation, cognitive control, frontoparietal cortex, task switching, incentives, multivariate pattern analysis
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain Mapping, Cues, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motivation, Neural Pathways, Parietal Lobe, Psychomotor Performance, Reward, Visual Perception, Young Adult, Executive Function

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