Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Brain Cogn. 2024 Nov;181:106222. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106222. Epub 2024 Sep 20.
Previous research has shown that, in both laboratory and real-world contexts, punishment sensitivity is associated with lower risk-taking propensity. The neural underpinnings of the association between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking, however, remain largely unknown. To address this issue, we implemented resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) methodologies to investigate the neural basis of their relationship in the current study (N=594). The behavioral results confirmed a negative association between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking propensity, which supports the hypothesis. The VBM results demonstrated a positive correlation between punishment sensitivity and gray matter volume in the right orbitofrontal cortex (ROFC). Furthermore, the results of the RSFC analysis revealed that the functional connectivity between ROFC and the right medial temporal gyrus (RMTG) was positively associated with punishment sensitivity. Notably, mediation analysis demonstrated that punishment sensitivity acted as a complete mediator in the influence of ROFC-RMTG functional connectivity on risk-taking. These findings suggest that ROFC-RMTG functional connectivity may be the neural basis underlying the effect of punishment sensitivity on risk-taking propensity, which provides a new perspective for understanding the relationship between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking propensity.
先前的研究表明，无论是在实验室还是现实环境中，惩罚敏感性与较低的风险偏好相关。然而，惩罚敏感性与风险偏好之间的关联的神经基础在很大程度上仍是未知的。为了解决这个问题，我们在当前研究（N=594）中实施了静息态功能连接（RSFC）和基于体素的形态测量学（VBM）方法，以研究它们之间关系的神经基础。行为结果证实了惩罚敏感性与风险偏好之间的负相关关系，这支持了假设。VBM 结果表明，右眶额皮层（ROFC）中的惩罚敏感性与灰质体积呈正相关。此外，RSFC 分析的结果表明，ROFC 与右侧颞叶内侧回（RMTG）之间的功能连接与惩罚敏感性呈正相关。值得注意的是，中介分析表明，ROFC-RMTG 功能连接对风险偏好的影响中，惩罚敏感性起着完全中介的作用。这些发现表明，ROFC-RMTG 功能连接可能是惩罚敏感性对风险偏好影响的神经基础，为理解惩罚敏感性与风险偏好之间的关系提供了新的视角。
