Cortical hemodynamic mechanisms of reversal learning using high-resolution functional near-infrared spectroscopy: A pilot study

Reversal learning is widely used to analyze cognitive flexibility and characterize behavioral abnormalities associated with impulsivity disinhibition. Recent studies using fMRI have focused on regions involved in reversal negative positive reinforcers. Although the frontal cortex has been consistently implicated learning, few whether reward punishment may different effects lateral structures these tasks. During this pilot study eight healthy subjects, we functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain activity dynamics differentiate involvement of driven by punishment. We observed hemispheric asymmetries between processing fNIRS following a learned rule. Moreover, left dorsolateral prefrontal (l-DLPFC) inferior gyrus (IFG) were activated under condition only, whereas orbito-frontal (OFC) was significantly condition, tendency towards activation for right cortical hemisphere (r-DLPFC r-IFG). Our results are compatible suggestion that DLPFC detection contingency change. propose new representation punishment, lateralization process. The provide insights into indirect neural mechanisms confirm use imaging reversal-learning tasks as translational strategy, particularly subjects who cannot undergo recordings.