Effects of behavioural activation on the neural circuit related to intrinsic motivation

Asako Mori; Yasumasa Okamoto; Go Okada; Koki Takagaki; Masahiro Takamura; Ran Jinnin; Naho Ichikawa; Takanao Yamamura; Satoshi Yokoyama; Syouichi Shiota; Atsuo Yoshino; Yoshie Miyake; Yuri Okamoto; Madoka Matsumoto; Kenji Matsumoto; Shigeto Yamawaki

doi:10.1192/bjo.2018.40

Effects of behavioural activation on the neural circuit related to intrinsic motivation

BJPsych Open. 2018 Sep;4(5):317-323. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2018.40.

Authors

Asako Mori¹, Yasumasa Okamoto², Go Okada³, Koki Takagaki⁴, Masahiro Takamura⁵, Ran Jinnin⁵, Naho Ichikawa⁵, Takanao Yamamura⁶, Satoshi Yokoyama⁷, Syouichi Shiota⁸, Atsuo Yoshino⁵, Yoshie Miyake⁹, Yuri Okamoto¹⁰, Madoka Matsumoto¹¹, Kenji Matsumoto¹², Shigeto Yamawaki¹³

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Fellow,Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.
² Professor,Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.
³ Lecturer,Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.
⁴ Assistant Professor,Health Service Center,Hiroshima University,Japan.
⁵ Assistant Professor,Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.
⁶ Assistant Professor,Department of Neuropsychiatry,Kanazawa University Hospital,Japan.
⁷ Researcher,Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.
⁸ Researcher,Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences,Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies,Kyoto University,Japan.
⁹ Associate Professor,Health Service Center,Hiroshima University,Japan.
¹⁰ Professor,Health Service Center,Hiroshima University,Japan.
¹¹ Assistant Professor,Department of Psychiatry,The University of Tokyo Hospital,Japan.
¹² Professor,Brain Science Institute,Tamagawa University,Japan.
¹³ Distinguished Professor,Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences,Hiroshima University,Japan.

Abstract

Background: Behavioural activation is an efficient treatment for depression and can improve intrinsic motivation. Previous studies have revealed that the frontostriatal circuit is involved in intrinsic motivation; however, there are no data on how behavioural activation affects the frontostriatal circuit.AimsWe aimed to investigate behavioural activation-related changes in the frontostriatal circuit.

Method: Fifty-nine individuals with subthreshold depression were randomly assigned to either the intervention or non-intervention group. The intervention group received five weekly behavioural activation sessions. The participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning on two separate occasions while performing a stopwatch task based on intrinsic motivation. We investigated changes in neural activity and functional connectivity after behavioural activation.

Results: After behavioural activation, the intervention group had increased activation and connectivity in the frontostriatal region compared with the non-intervention group. The increased activation in the right middle frontal gyrus was correlated with an improvement of subjective sensitivity to environmental rewards.

Conclusions: Behavioural activation-related changes to the frontostriatal circuit advance our understanding of psychotherapy-induced improvements in the neural basis of intrinsic motivation.Declaration of interestNone.

Keywords: Behavioural activation; depressive disorders; functional magnetic resonance imaging; imaging; intrinsic motivation; subthreshold depression.