Reward sensitivity modulates brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, ACC and striatum during task switching

Current perspectives on cognitive control acknowledge that individual differences in motiva- tional dispositions may modulate cognitive processes in the absence of reward contingen- cies. This work aimed to study the relationship between individual differences in Behavioral Activation System (BAS) sensitivity and the neural underpinnings involved in processing a switching cue in a task-switching paradigm. BAS sensitivity was hypothesized to modulate brain activity in frontal regions, ACC and the striatum. Twenty-eight healthy participants un- derwent fMRI while performing a switching task, which elicited activity in fronto-striatal re- gions during the processing of the switch cue. BAS sensitivity was negatively associated with activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and the ventral striatum. Combined with previous results, our data indicate that BAS sensitivity modulates the neuro- cognitive processes involved in task switching in a complex manner depending on task de- mands. Therefore, individual differences in motivational dispositions may influence cognitive processing in the absence of reward contingencie