Different topological patterns in structural covariance networks between high and low delay discounters.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• People often prefer immediate rewards over future ones due to delay discounting, a measure of impulsivity.
• The neural underpinnings of these preferences, particularly concerning large-scale structural brain networks, remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how structural covariance networks in the brain relate to individual differences in delay discounting.
• To compare the topological properties of brain networks between individuals with high and low discounting tendencies.

Main Methods:

• Classified young adults into high discounting group (HDG) and low discounting group (LDG) based on intertemporal choice.
• Employed graph theoretical analysis to compare global and regional topological properties of gray matter volume-based structural covariance networks.

Main Results:

• HDG showed reduced network segregation (clustering coefficient) and increased integration (characteristic path length) compared to LDG.
• HDG exhibited a more pronounced small-worldness in their brain networks.
• HDG had lower betweenness centrality in the parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala.

Conclusions:

• Structural covariance network topology is associated with impulsive choice, as indicated by delay discounting.
• Findings elucidate the relationship between brain morphology and impulsive behaviors, specifically in young adults.