Research Center of Psychology and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
Brain Struct Funct. 2020 Mar;225(2):511-518. doi: 10.1007/s00429-019-01982-x. Epub 2020 Jan 13.
Achievement motivation is a core component of human decision making. However, neural mechanisms that link achievement motivation and intertemporal choice have not yet been elucidated. Here, we examined neural pathways underlying the relationship between achievement motivation and intertemporal choice using a delay discounting task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging on 86 healthy subjects. Behaviorally, delay discounting rate was positively correlated with achievement motivation. Functional coupling of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum was positively correlated with achievement motivation. Notably, the mediation analysis showed that the impact of achievement motivation on delay discounting was mediated by intrinsic connectivity between the dlPFC and mPFC. Our findings suggest that intrinsic organization within the prefrontal cortex plays a key role in linking achievement motivation and intertemporal choice.
成就动机是人类决策的核心组成部分。然而，将成就动机与跨期选择联系起来的神经机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们使用延迟折扣任务和 86 名健康受试者的静息态功能磁共振成像，研究了成就动机与跨期选择之间关系的神经通路。行为上，延迟折扣率与成就动机呈正相关。背外侧前额叶皮层（dlPFC）与内侧前额叶皮层（mPFC）、内侧眶额皮层和腹侧纹状体之间的功能耦合与成就动机呈正相关。值得注意的是，中介分析表明，成就动机对延迟折扣的影响是由 dlPFC 和 mPFC 之间的内在连通性介导的。我们的研究结果表明，前额叶皮层内部的组织在将成就动机与跨期选择联系起来方面起着关键作用。
