The neural correlates of risk propensity in males and females using resting-state fMRI.
Men are more risk prone than women, but the underlying basis remains unclear. To investigate this question, we developed a trait-like measure of risk propensity which we correlated with resting-state functional connectivity to identify sex differences. Specifically, we used short- and long-range functional connectivity densities to identify associated brain regions and examined their functional connectivities in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from a large sample of healthy young volunteers. We found that men had a higher level of general risk propensity (GRP) than women. At the neural level, although they shared a common neural correlate of GRP in a network centered at the right inferior frontal gyrus, men and women differed in a network centered at the right secondary somatosensory cortex, which included the bilateral dorsal anterior/middle insular cortices and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, men and women differed in a local network centered at the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex. Most of the regions identified by this resting-state fMRI study have been previously implicated in risk processing when people make risky decisions. This study provides a new perspective on the brain-behavioral relationships in risky decision making and contributes to our understanding of sex differences in risk propensity.
Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Yuan
Y
Zhou
Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Shu
S
Li
The School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia.
John
J
Dunn
Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Huandong
H
Li
Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital Tianjin, China.
Wen
W
Qin
Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Maohu
M
Zhu
Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Li-Lin
LL
Rao
Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
Ming
M
Song
Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital Tianjin, China.
Chunshui
C
Yu
Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China ; Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China ; The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Tianzi
T
Jiang
functional connectivity; functional magnetic resonance imaging; resting state; risk propensity; sex difference