Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany.
PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e60385. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060385. Epub 2013 Apr 2.
Abundant behavioral evidence suggests that the ability to self-control is limited, and that any exertion of self-control will increase the likelihood of subsequent self-control failures. Here we investigated the neural correlates underlying the aftereffects of self-control on future control processes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An initial act of self-control (suppressing emotions) impaired subsequent performance in a second task requiring control (Stroop task). On the neural level, increased activity during emotion suppression was followed by a relative decrease in activity during the Stroop task in a cluster in the right lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an area engaged in the effortful implementation of control. There was no reliable evidence for reduced activity in the medial frontal cortex (MFC) including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is involved in conflict detection processes and has previously also been implicated in self-control. Follow-up analyses showed that the detected cluster in the right lateral PFC and an area in the MFC were involved in both the emotion suppression task and the Stroop task, but only the cluster in the right lateral PFC showed reduced activation after emotion suppression during the Stroop task. Reduced activity in lateral prefrontal areas relevant for the implementation of control may be a critical consequence of prior self-control exertion if the respective areas are involved in both self-control tasks.
大量行为证据表明，自我控制能力是有限的，任何自我控制的努力都会增加随后自我控制失败的可能性。在这里，我们使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究了自我控制对未来控制过程的后续影响的神经相关性。最初的自我控制行为（抑制情绪）会损害第二个需要控制的任务（Stroop 任务）的后续表现。在神经水平上，在右侧外侧前额叶皮层（PFC）包括背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）中的一个簇中，情绪抑制期间的活动增加，随后在 Stroop 任务期间的活动相对减少，该区域参与了控制的费力实施。在前扣带皮层（ACC）等内侧前额叶皮层（MFC）中没有可靠的证据表明活动减少，ACC 参与冲突检测过程，以前也与自我控制有关。后续分析表明，右侧外侧 PFC 中的检测到的簇和 MFC 中的一个区域都参与了情绪抑制任务和 Stroop 任务，但只有右侧外侧 PFC 中的簇在 Stroop 任务期间的情绪抑制后显示出激活减少。如果相关区域都参与了自我控制任务，则与控制实施相关的外侧前额叶区域的活动减少可能是先前自我控制努力的关键后果。
