Mackey Scott, Olafsson Valur, Aupperle Robin L, Lu Kun, Fonzo Greg A, Parnass Jason, Liu Thomas, Paulus Martin P
Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Neuroscience Imaging Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2016 Sep;10(3):730-8. doi: 10.1007/s11682-015-9435-z.
The significance of why a similar set of brain regions are associated with the default mode network and value-related neural processes remains to be clarified. Here, we examined i) whether brain regions exhibiting willingness-to-pay (WTP) task-related activity are intrinsically connected when the brain is at rest, ii) whether these regions overlap spatially with the default mode network, and iii) whether individual differences in choice behavior during the WTP task are reflected in functional brain connectivity at rest. Blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects performed the WTP task and at rest with eyes open. Brain regions that tracked the value of bids during the WTP task were used as seed regions in an analysis of functional connectivity in the resting state data. The seed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex was functionally connected to core regions of the WTP task-related network. Brain regions within the WTP task-related network, namely the ventral precuneus, ventromedial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortex overlapped spatially with publically available maps of the default mode network. Also, those individuals with higher functional connectivity during rest between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum showed greater preference consistency during the WTP task. Thus, WTP task-related regions are an intrinsic network of the brain that corresponds spatially with the default mode network, and individual differences in functional connectivity within the WTP network at rest may reveal a priori biases in choice behavior.
为何一组相似的脑区与默认模式网络及价值相关神经过程相关联,其意义仍有待阐明。在此,我们研究了:i)在大脑静息时,表现出与支付意愿(WTP)任务相关活动的脑区是否内在相连;ii)这些区域在空间上是否与默认模式网络重叠;iii)在WTP任务期间选择行为的个体差异是否反映在静息时的脑功能连接上。在受试者执行WTP任务并睁眼静息时,通过功能磁共振成像测量血氧水平依赖(BOLD)信号。在对静息状态数据的功能连接分析中,将在WTP任务期间追踪出价价值的脑区用作种子区域。腹内侧前额叶皮质中的种子区域与WTP任务相关网络的核心区域功能相连。WTP任务相关网络内的脑区,即腹侧楔前叶、腹内侧前额叶和后扣带回皮质,在空间上与默认模式网络的公开可用图谱重叠。此外,在静息时腹内侧前额叶皮质和腹侧纹状体之间功能连接性较高的个体,在WTP任务期间表现出更大的偏好一致性。因此,WTP任务相关区域是大脑的一个内在网络,在空间上与默认模式网络相对应,并且静息时WTP网络内功能连接的个体差异可能揭示选择行为中的先验偏差。