Open AccessSex differences in the behavioral inhibition system and ventromedial prefrontal cortex connectivity
Author(s) -
Wi Hoon Jung,
Tae Young Lee,
Minah Kim,
Junhee Lee,
Sae-Sook Oh,
Silvia Kyungjin Lho,
Sun-Young Moon,
Jun Soo Kwon
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
social cognitive and affective neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.229
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1749-5024
pISSN - 1749-5016
DOI - 10.1093/scan/nsab118
Subject(s) - ventromedial prefrontal cortex , psychology , functional magnetic resonance imaging , prefrontal cortex , rumination , posterior cingulate , default mode network , anxiety , anxiety sensitivity , developmental psychology , neuroscience , cognition , psychiatry
The reinforcement sensitivity theory proposes brain–behavioral systems that underlie individual differences in sensitivity to punishment and reward. Such trait sensitivity is assessed using the behavioral inhibition/activation system (BIS/BAS) scales. Recent studies have reported sex-linked neuroanatomical correlates of the BIS/BAS, especially in the regions belonging to the valuation and salience networks that are associated with the representation of subjective value (SV), whereas less effort has been focused on investigating the neurofunctional aspects associated with sex differences in the BIS/BAS. We tested whether functional connectivity (FC) of the regions associated with the representation of SV mediates the relationship between sex and BIS sensitivity in healthy young adults by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and self-reported BIS/BAS measures. Compared with males, females had heightened BIS sensitivity and increased FC between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) seed and posterior parietal areas; this FC mediated the impact of sex on BIS sensitivity. Given that the observed vmPFC FC maps are considered part of the default-mode network, which is involved in ruminative processes, and that the BIS is associated with rumination and negative affect, our results may have implications for psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, both of which have high incidence in females.