pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Default network deactivations are correlated with psychopathic personality traits - PubMed

  • ️Fri Jan 01 2010

Default network deactivations are correlated with psychopathic personality traits

Tong Sheng et al. PLoS One. 2010.

Abstract

Background: The posteromedial cortex (PMC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are part of a network of brain regions that has been found to exhibit decreased activity during goal-oriented tasks. This network is thought to support a baseline of brain activity, and is commonly referred to as the "default network". Although recent reports suggest that the PMC and mPFC are associated with affective, social, and self-referential processes, the relationship between these default network components and personality traits, especially those pertaining to social context, is poorly understood.

Methodology/principal findings: In the current investigation, we assessed the relationship between PMC and mPFC deactivations and psychopathic personality traits using fMRI and a self-report measure. We found that PMC deactivations predicted traits related to egocentricity and mPFC deactivations predicted traits related to decision-making.

Conclusions/significance: These results suggest that the PMC and mPFC are associated with processes involving self-relevancy and affective decision-making, consistent with previous reports. More generally, these findings suggest a link between default network activity and personality traits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Posteromedial and medial prefrontal regions of interest.

The ROIs corresponded to the respective peak voxels of the PMC and mPFC clusters in the contrast (Rest – Speech). The PMC ROI was defined at [0, -48, 24] and the mPFC ROI was defined at [0, 38, -8], in MNI coordinates. ROIs are overlaid onto an averaged anatomical image constructed from the anatomical scans of five representative participants.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Correlations between task-related deactivations and PPI-R subscale scores.

Scatterplots of PMC deactivations and ME scores are shown in the top panel, and scatterplots of mPFC deactivations and CN scores are shown in the bottom panel. Least-squares regression lines are plotted to highlight the relationships between amounts of deactivation and scores on trait scales.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mazoyer B, Zago L, Mellet E, Bricogne S, Etard O, et al. Cortical networks for working memory and executive functions sustain the conscious resting state in man. Brain Research Bulletin. 2001;54:287–298. - PubMed
    1. Shulman GL, Fiez JA, Corbetta M, Buckner RL, Miezin FM, et al. Common Blood Flow Changes across Visual Tasks: II. Decreases in Cerebral Cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 1997;9:648–663. - PubMed
    1. Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, Powers WJ, Gusnard DA, et al. A default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2001;98:676–682. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Raichle ME, Gusnard DA. Intrinsic brain activity sets the state for expression of motivated behavior. The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 2005;493:167–176. - PubMed
    1. Raichle ME, Snyder AZ. A default mode of brain function: A brief history of an evolving idea. NeuroImage. 2007;37:1083–1090. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms