title: Reduced punishment sensitivity in neural systems of behavior monitoring in impulsive individuals.
abstract: This study measured the response-locked event-related potential during a flanker task with performance-based monetarily rewarding and punishing trials in 37 undergraduate students separated into high- and low-impulsive groups based on a median split on self-reported Barrett Impulsiveness Scale. The high-impulsive group had a smaller medial frontal error-related negativity (ERN) on punishment trials than the low-impulsive group. The medial prefrontal neural system of behavior monitoring, indexed by the ERN, appears less sensitive to punishment signals in normal impulsivity. This reduced punishment sensitivity in impulsivity, a personality variation associated with several mental and personality disorders including ADHD and substance abuse may be related to the tendency to select short-term rewards despite potential long-term negative consequences in these individuals.
authors.affiliation: Rice University, Department of Psychology, MS-25, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA. gpotts@rice.edu
authors.forename: Geoffrey F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Potts
authors.forename: Mary Reeni M
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Ernest S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Barratt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011678:Punishment; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012201:Reward