Marijuana abusers show lower positive and higher negative emotionality scores than controls, which is consistent, on one hand, with
lower reward sensitivity and motivation and, on the other hand, with increased stress reactivity and irritability.
Individuals family history positive for alcoholism show functional magnetic resonance imaging differences
in reward sensitivity that are related to impulsivity factors.
«The outcome of this study, in combination with our other recent findings involving human teens, indicates that the peer influence
on reward sensitivity during late adolescence is not just a matter of peer pressure or bravado or in any way dependent on familiarity with the observer,» Steinberg said.
The researchers also found increased activity between areas of the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens, a center
for reward sensitivity that is often implicated in addiction research.
Relationships
between Reward Sensitivity, Risk - Taking and Family History of Alcoholism during an Interactive Competitive fMRI Task
Moreover, some animal research has suggested that Roux - en - Y may affect areas of the brain associated with reward, possibly increasing
alcohol reward sensitivity, the researchers noted.
The region's distinctive light, color and atmosphere not
only rewarded her sensitivity to the natural world, but also connected her work to a long history of plein air painting.
The dominance of the affective system contributes to
heightened reward sensitivity and a reward - seeking behavior, a crucial factor biasing decision - making and contributing to increased experimentation with drugs and the emergence of substance use / abuse.
The externalizing pathway highlights the underlying neurological systems of
increased reward sensitivity and reactivity combined with decreased effortful control and regulation that are imbalanced and competing during adolescence (i.e., dual systems model), which further contributes to adolescence being a high - risk period for the onset of substance use and comorbid behavior problems [80, 81].
Appelhans BM, Woolf K, Pagoto SL, Schneider KL, Whited MC, Liebman R. Inhibiting food reward: delay discounting,
food reward sensitivity, and palatable food intake in overweight and obese women.
«For example, the endocannabinoid and dopamine systems are at their peak and these major neurobiological changes are reflected on the behavioral level;
reward sensitivity is highest during puberty.
While sensory processing is elevated in many of these subjects, other research shows that
their reward sensitivity is lower.
The results are discussed in light of the differential susceptibility hypothesis and
the reward sensitivity mechanism.
Although patterns of increased
reward sensitivity and poor regulation of affective responses to rewards are evidenced in many studies, there have been mixed findings among youths with disruptive behavior disorders, with results showing either more or less reactive amygdala responses among these youths [84].
Behavioral Control and
Reward Sensitivity in Adolescents» Risk Taking Behavior: A Longitudinal TRAILS Study.