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Striatal dopamine supports reward reactivity and learning: A simultaneous PET/fMRI study

Converging evidence from both human neuroimaging and animal studies has supported a model of mesolimbic processing in computing prediction errors, which form the basis of reward learning behaviors. However, direct evidence demonstrating how human dopamine signaling in the basal ganglia contributes to learning has been hampered by limitations of individual imaging modalities. Here, we present data from a large (N=81, 18-30 year olds), multi-modal neuroimaging study using simultaneously acquired task fMRI, affording temporal resolution of reward system function, and PET imaging with [11C]Raclopride (RAC) assessing striatal D2/3 receptor binding. Results indicated that task-related dopamine release in the ventral striatum, measured as a change in RAC binding, was greater among those who demonstrated successful reward learning on a probabilistic map learning task. This learning response was specific to the ventral striatum and was not present in fMRI BOLD reward response activation. This provides support for considering task-related DA release in ventral striatum as a key signal for translating reward outcomes into a learning signal, rather the representing the reward outcome in isolation. These data provide novel, human in vivo evidence that dopaminergic function may support reward reactivity as well as reward learning as distinct processes.