Individual differences in pre-task functional connectivity predict subsequent decision-making.

Thursday, October 11, 2012 — Poster Session IV
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Natcher Conference Center, Building 45	NIMH	NEURO/BEHAV/SENSYS-1

Authors

• K.M. Anderson
• K.A. Barnes
• A. Martin

Abstract

Resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) measures spontaneous low frequency (<~0.1 Hz) fluctuations among functionally related brain regions. The present study investigated whether variability in pre-task rs-fcMRI was predictive of individual differences in decision-making during a subsequent motion direction discrimination task. Rs-fcMRI data was collected from 21 subjects (11 female) prior to performing the task during fMRI. Behavioral data analysis revealed a positively skewed response time (RT) distribution in half of the subjects, which was well fit by an ex-Gaussian function. The remaining subjects showed a polymodal RT distribution, which was poorly fit by an ex-Gaussian function. The ex-Gaussian RT distribution group was faster on average than the polymodal RT distribution group, but differed neither in accuracy nor demographic variables. Pre-task rs-fcMRI strength among 75 task-defined regions of interest (ROIs) was compared between groups. Rs-fcMRI correlations between bilateral anterior insula ROIs and right visual and right premotor ROIs were significantly stronger in the ex-Gaussian than polymodal subjects. These results suggest that the faster performance of the subjects in the ex-Gaussian RT distribution group may be mediated by better communication between anterior insula regions involved in attentional control and visual and premotor regions involved in stimulus processing and response selection, respectively.

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