Poster #18 - Neural responses during risky decision-making in internationally adopted youth

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Biological Processes: Neuroscience and Genetics

Integrative Statement

Background. Early institutional care has been associated with neurodevelopmental deficits, including impairments in decision-making and alterations in reward-sensitivity. Specifically, internationally adopted post-institutionalized (PI) youth gain fewer points and take fewer risks on risk-taking tasks than their non-adopted (NA) counterparts (Humphreys et al., 2015; Loman, et al., 2014). The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a common measure of risky decision-making and requires participants to select cards from a set of decks, some of which are advantageous over the course of the task (resulting in a net gain of points) and some of which are disadvantageous (resulting in a net loss of points; Bechara, et al., 1994). Originally, the IGT was used to investigate the functioning of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, but a number of other reward-related regions, including the anterior cingulate and ventral striatum, have been identified as playing important roles in successful IGT performance (Hartstra, et al., 2010; Li, et al., 2010).

Procedures: In this study, we used the IGT to evaluate risky decision-making and reward sensitivity in PI youth. Specifically, we examine whether PI youth show altered engagement of brain regions involved in reward processing and decision-making. Seventy-four participants (44 PI, 30 NA; Mean age = 12.93 years) completed a two-deck variant of the IGT (adapted from Hartstra et al., 2010) while completing an fMRI scan. After preprocessing, 15 participants (10 PI, 5 NA) were excluded due to excessive head motion or incomplete data. In this version of the task, participants chose to draw cards from a pair of decks 14 times (a block) before being presented with two new decks containing different levels of gain and loss. For half of the pairs, the deck providing larger rewards resulted in a net gain across the block (the high pay condition). For the other half of the pairs, the deck providing lower rewards resulted in a net gain (the low pay condition).

Results and Discussion: Our results indicated increased activation during the low pay condition compared to the high pay condition across all participants in the left superior frontal and left middle frontal gyri, and in the right caudate (p’s < 0.005). When comparing PI youth to NA youth, greater activation was evident in task-related regions including the frontal pole, left insula, and right temporal pole (p’s < 0.005) during the low pay condition compared to high pay, consistent with low pay being the more difficult condition (as smaller rewards were advantageous). Consistent with previous literature suggesting reward-sensitivity differences, PI adolescents showed greater activation than NA youth in bilateral superior frontal gyrus, paracingulate gyrus, and right accumbens when comparing feedback from high pay blocks to low pay blocks (p’s < 0.005). Our results add to the literature suggesting that the experience of ELS in the form of institutional care may alter reward processing. Further, the PI group exhibits what may be compensatory activation in the regions required for task performance on the most challenging condition of our IGT, concordant with previous research investigating the developmental sequelae of early institutional care.

Authors

• Max Herzberg, University of Minnesota
  Presenting Author

• Ruskin H. Hunt, University of Minnesota
  Non-Presenting Author

• Megan Gunnar, University of Minnesota
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathleen M. Thomas, University of Minnesota
  Non-Presenting Author