Mechanisms of long term non-reinforced preference change: functional connectivity changes in a longitudinal functional MRI study
Behavioral change studies mostly focus on external reinforcements to modify preferences. Cue-approach training (CAT) is a paradigm that influences preferences by the mere association of stimuli, sensory cues, and a rapid motor response, without external reinforcements. The behavioral effect has been shown to last for months after less than one hour of training. Here, we used a modified version of CAT by changing the neutral-cue to a number that represented a monetary amount of reward that the participants accumulate (i.e. incentive-cue). After a single training session, we compared behavioral performance and functional connectivity (FC), as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging, between two groups, one receiving a neutral-cue and the other receiving an incentive-cue, at 5 time points across one year. We replicated the maintenance of behavioral changes after 6-months for the non-reinforced neutral-cue participants, but not for the reinforced group. The reinforced training group showed higher FC within the limbic system, whereas the non-externally reinforced group showed higher functional connectivity within and between default-mode and dorsal-attention networks. Our findings offer putative neural correlates for both reinforced and non-reinforced preference changes that are maintained over time and which could be implemented in future behavioral change interventions.