Fig. 2: Curiosity increased univariate activation in the midbrain VTA and perirhinal cortex during anticipation of trivia answers.
From: Hippocampal convergence during anticipatory midbrain activation promotes subsequent memory formation
Anticipatory BOLD activation (i.e., during the Question interval preceding each trivia answer) was greater after High-Curiosity (orange) versus Low-Curiosity (blue) trivia questions in the midbrain VTA (p = 0.026) and perirhinal cortex (PRC) (p = 0.017; N = 23 participants). Hippocampus (HPC) and parahippocampal cortex (PHC) activation did not differentiate curiosity states. Red overlays on the brain images demarcate the ROIs (Brain template obtained from FSL and reproduced with permission). The large dots in each panel represent the group mean; small dots represent mean activation for each participant. Error bars represent the SEM. *p < 0.05.
