Wang Mengmeng, Chen Zhiyi, Zhang Shunmin, Xu Ting, Zhang Rong, Suo Tao, Feng Tingyong
School of Education, Institute of Cognition, Brain, and Health, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
School of Education, Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Front Neurosci. 2019 Mar 11;13:194. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00194. eCollection 2019.
Risk preference, the preference for risky choices over safe alternatives, has a great impact on many fields, such as physical health, sexual safety and financial decision making. Ample behavioral research has attested that inadequate self-control can give rise to high risk preference. However, little is known about the neural substrates underlying the effect of self-control on risk preference. To address this issue, we combined voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses to explore the neural basis underlying the effect of self-control on risk preference across two independent samples. In sample 1 (99 participants; 47 males; 20.37 ± 1.63 years), the behavioral results indicated that the scores of self-control were significantly and negatively correlated with risk preference (indexed by gambling rate). The VBM analyses demonstrated that the higher risk preference was correlated with smaller gray matter volumes in right orbitofrontal cortex (rOFC) and right posterior parietal cortex. In the independent sample 2 (80 participants; 33 males; 20.33 ± 1.83 years), the RSFC analyses ascertained that the functional connectivity of rOFC and right anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) was positively associated with risk preference. Furthermore, the mediation analysis identified that self-control mediated the impact of functional connectivity of rOFC-rACC on risk preference. These findings suggest the functional coupling between the rOFC and rACC might account for the association between self-control and risk preference. The present study extends our understanding on the relationship between self-control and risk preference, and reveals possible neural underpinnings underlying this association.
风险偏好，即相较于安全选择更倾向于冒险选择，在许多领域都有重大影响，如身体健康、性安全和财务决策等。大量行为研究证实，自我控制不足会导致高风险偏好。然而，对于自我控制对风险偏好影响的神经基础却知之甚少。为解决这一问题，我们将基于体素的形态计量学（VBM）与静息态功能连接（RSFC）分析相结合，以探究自我控制对风险偏好影响的神经基础，该研究涉及两个独立样本。在样本1（99名参与者；47名男性；年龄20.37±1.63岁）中，行为结果表明，自我控制得分与风险偏好（以赌博率为指标）显著负相关。VBM分析显示，较高的风险偏好与右侧眶额皮质（rOFC）和右侧顶叶后皮质的灰质体积较小相关。在独立样本2（80名参与者；33名男性；年龄20.33±1.83岁）中，RSFC分析确定rOFC与右侧前扣带回皮质（rACC）的功能连接与风险偏好呈正相关。此外，中介分析表明自我控制介导了rOFC-rACC功能连接对风险偏好的影响。这些发现表明，rOFC和rACC之间的功能耦合可能解释了自我控制与风险偏好之间的关联。本研究扩展了我们对自我控制与风险偏好之间关系的理解，并揭示了这种关联可能的神经基础。
