Corticostriatal circuits in the transition to chronic back pain: The predictive role of reward learning

Loeffer, Martin; Levin, Seth M.; Usai, Katrin; Desch, Simon; Kandic, Mina; Nees, Frauke und Flor, Herta (2022): Corticostriatal circuits in the transition to chronic back pain: The predictive role of reward learning. In: Cell Reports Medicine, Bd. 3, Nr. 7, 100677

Abstract

Connectivity between the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and reward learning independently predict the transition from acute to chronic back pain (CBP). However, how these pre-dictors are related remains unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigate NAc-and vmPFC-dependent reward learning in 50 patients with subacute back pain (SABP) and follow them over 6 months. Additionally, we compare 29 patients with CBP and 29 pain-free controls to characterize mecha-nisms of reward learning in the chronic stage. We find that the learning-related updating of the value of rein-forcement (prediction error) in the NAc predicts the transition to chronicity. In CBP, compared with controls, vmPFC responses to this prediction error signal are decreased, but increased during a discriminative stim-ulus. Distinct processes of reward learning in the vmPFC and NAc characterize the development and main-tenance of CBP. These could be targeted for the prevention and treatment of chronic pain.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Psychologie und Pädagogik > Department Psychologie
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie
• ISSN: 2666-3791
• Sprache: Englisch