Reproducible human reward imaging phenotypes exhibit differential sensitivity to dopamine D2 receptor antagonism

Nat Commun. 2026 Sep 3;17(1):10477. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-77317-2.

ABSTRACT

Human reward processing varies along cue-centric and outcome-centric axes, but the mechanistic basis of individual variation in incentive salience attribution remains incompletely characterized. Here we show, using fMRI across five cohorts (N-total = 1251; N1 = 890; N2 = 245; N3 = 34; N4 = 48; N5 = 34), two reproducible imaging phenotypes mirroring sign- and goal-tracking (ST-like, GT-like). ST-like individuals showed dominant ventral striatal responses to reward-anticipation cues and sustained incentive salience attribution; GT-like individuals showed heightened responses to reward outcomes. This distinction was replicable across sites and independent samples. Single-dose and repeated-dose D₂/D₃ antagonism (risperidone, haloperidol, amisulpride) selectively reduced anticipatory ventral striatal activity in ST, with single-dose antagonism additionally producing a parallel drop in self-reported energy. Instead, D₂/D₃ partial agonism (aripiprazole) increased anticipatory and reduced outcome-phase responses in GT. In a psychosis cohort, antipsychotic D₂ affinity was associated with blunted anticipatory signals and higher negative symptom burden, offering a neuroimaging-driven basis for stratifying patients and predicting response to dopaminergic agents.

PMID:42830297 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-026-77317-2