Macro and micro structures in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex contribute to individual differences in self-monitoring.

Individual differences in self-monitoring, which are the capability to adjust behavior to adapt to social situations, influence a wide range of social behaviors. However, understanding of focal differences in brain structures related to individual self-monitoring is minimal, particularly when micro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain Imaging & Behavior Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 477 - 486
Main Authors: Yang, Junyi, Tian, Xue, Wei, Dongtao, Liu, Huijuan, Zhang, Qinglin, Wang, Kangcheng, Chen, Qunlin, Qiu, Jiang
Format: diagnostic images research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Springer Nature Jun2016
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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Summary:Individual differences in self-monitoring, which are the capability to adjust behavior to adapt to social situations, influence a wide range of social behaviors. However, understanding of focal differences in brain structures related to individual self-monitoring is minimal, particularly when micro and macro structures are considered simultaneously. The present study investigates the relationship between self-monitoring and brain structure in a relatively large sample of young adults. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed a significant positive correlation between self-monitoring and gray matter volume in the dorsal cingulate anterior cortex (dACC), dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and bilateral ventral striatum (VS). Further analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between self-monitoring and white matter (WM) integrity, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA) in the anterior cingulum (ACG) bundle. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between self-monitoring and mean radius diffusion (RD). These results shed light on the structural neural basis of variation in self-monitoring.