Open AccessThe goal priority network as a neural substrate of Conscientiousness
Author(s) -
Rueter Amanda R.,
Abram Samantha V.,
MacDonald Angus W.,
Rustichini Aldo,
DeYoung Colin G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.24195
Subject(s) - conscientiousness , psychology , anterior cingulate cortex , neuroscience , neural substrate , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , prefrontal cortex , personality , big five personality traits , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , cognition , social psychology , extraversion and introversion
Conscientiousness is a personality trait associated with many important life outcomes, but little is known about the mechanisms that underlie it. We investigated its neural correlates using functional connectivity analysis in fMRI, which identifies brain regions that act in synchrony. We tested the hypothesis that a broad network resembling a combination of the salience and ventral attention networks, which we provisionally label the goal priority network (GPN), is a neural correlate of Conscientiousness. Self‐ and peer‐ratings of Conscientiousness were collected in a community sample of adults who underwent a resting‐state fMRI scan ( N = 218). An independent components analysis yielded five components that overlapped substantially with the GPN. We examined synchrony within and between these GPN subcomponents. Synchrony within one of the components—mainly comprising regions of anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—was significantly associated with Conscientiousness. Connectivity between this component and the four other GPN components was also significantly associated with Conscientiousness. Our results support the hypothesis that variation in a network that enables prioritization of multiple goals may be central to Conscientiousness.