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Frontal lobe activation mediates the relation between sensation seeking and cortisol increases
Hani D Freeman1, Jennifer S Beer
1University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Journal of Personality
|July 24, 2010
Summary
Low sensation seekers exhibit greater cortisol increases after risk tasks, linked to orbitofrontal cortex activity. This suggests sensation-seeking influences physiological responses to risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Sensation seeking is a personality trait characterized by the pursuit of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences.
- Low sensation seekers theoretically avoid risk due to higher emotional costs compared to high sensation seekers.
- The relationship between sensation seeking, cortisol response, and neural mediation, particularly in the frontal lobe, remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if individual differences in sensation seeking predict cortisol changes in response to a risk task.
- To examine whether frontal lobe activation mediates the relationship between sensation seeking and cortisol level alterations.
- To explore the neural underpinnings of risk-taking behavior and its physiological correlates.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen participants with varying sensation-seeking levels underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Participants rated their likelihood of engaging in various risky scenarios during the fMRI scan.
- Salivary cortisol levels were measured immediately before and after the fMRI procedure.
Main Results:
- Individuals with lower sensation-seeking tendencies displayed a more significant increase in cortisol levels post-risk task.
- This association between low sensation seeking and elevated cortisol response was partially mediated by increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex.
- Orbitofrontal cortex activation emerged as a key neural correlate in the sensation-seeking-cortisol response pathway.
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in sensation seeking significantly predict cortisol reactivity to risk-related stimuli.
- Orbitofrontal cortex activity plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between sensation seeking and cortisol changes.
- Findings highlight the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying personality trait influences on risk perception and physiological stress responses.
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