title: Delay of gratification in childhood linked to cortical interactions with the nucleus accumbens.
abstract: Delay of gratification (DG) is the ability to forego immediate temptations in the service of obtaining larger, delayed rewards. An extensive body of behavioral research has revealed that DG ability in childhood is associated with a host of important outcomes throughout development, and that attentional focus away from temptations underlies this ability. In this study, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study to identify the neural underpinnings of individual differences in DG among children. We observed a relationship between behavior during the classic DG task, a well-studied and ecologically valid measure, and functional connectivity during a modified version of this task in the scanner. Specifically, greater attentional focus away from temptations was associated with stronger functional coupling between the nucleus accumbens, a brain region that supports approach behavior, and several regions within prefrontal and parietal cortex that support self-control. These results shed light on the network interactions that contribute to DG and that account for individual differences in this capacity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx NY anna.luerssen@lehman.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luerssen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University Palo Alto, CA.
authors.forename: Anett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gyurak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ayduk
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
authors.forename: Carter
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wendelken
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and Department of Psychology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
authors.forename: Silvia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bunge
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D065786:Delay Discounting / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology
keywords: attention; brain; childhood development; delay of gratification; self-control