Different forms of self-control share a neurocognitive substrate.
Golnaz Tabibnia1, John R Monterosso, Kate Baicy
1Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024, USA.
Summary
Self-control across different tasks relies on the right pars opercularis. Methamphetamine dependence impairs this brain region, affecting inhibitory control and emotional regulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Self-control deficits are observed in individuals with methamphetamine dependence.
- Previous research suggests a common psychobiological component underlying different types of self-control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the shared neural substrate for affective and nonaffective inhibitory control.
- To examine the relationship between gray matter integrity in the inferior frontal gyrus and self-control abilities.
- To compare self-control performance and brain structure between healthy and methamphetamine-dependent individuals.
Main Methods:
- Acquired high-resolution magnetic resonance images from 44 healthy and 43 methamphetamine-dependent subjects.
- Assessed gray matter structure of the inferior frontal gyrus using voxel-based morphometry.
- Administered motor and affective inhibitory control tasks (stop-signal and emotion reappraisal tasks).
Main Results:
- In healthy subjects, performance on inhibitory control tasks correlated with gray matter intensity in the right pars opercularis.
- Gray matter intensity in this region also correlated with methamphetamine craving.
- Methamphetamine-dependent subjects showed reduced gray matter intensity in the right pars opercularis, poorer motor inhibitory control, and less effective affect regulation compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Self-control in diverse psychological domains shares a common neural substrate in the right pars opercularis.
- The integrity of this brain region is crucial for successful self-control.
- Methamphetamine dependence is associated with structural and functional impairments in this self-control network.
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