Regional gray matter density associated with cognitive reflectivity-impulsivity: evidence from voxel-based morphometry.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25803809.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0122666 and PMC identifier 4372386.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
When faced with a problem or choice, humans can use two different strategies: "cognitive reflectivity," which involves slow responses and fewer mistakes, or "cognitive impulsivity," which comprises of quick responses and more mistakes. Different individuals use these two strategies differently. To our knowledge, no study has directly investigated the brain regions involved in reflectivity-impulsivity; therefore, this study focused on associations between these cognitive strategies and the gray matter structure of several brain regions. In order to accomplish this, we enrolled 776 healthy, right-handed individuals (432 men and 344 women; 20.7 ± 1.8 years) and used voxel-based morphometry with administration of a cognitive reflectivity-impulsivity questionnaire. We found that high cognitive reflectivity was associated with greater regional gray matter density in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Our finding suggests that this area plays an important role in defining an individual's trait associated with reflectivity and impulsivity.
Medical subject headings
- Cognition
- Gray Matter
- Impulsive Behavior
- Prefrontal Cortex