2016年3月
Self-esteem modulates amygdala-ventrolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity in response to mortality threats.
Journal of experimental psychology. General
- ,
- ,
- ,
- 巻
- 145
- 号
- 3
- 開始ページ
- 273
- 終了ページ
- 83
- 記述言語
- 英語
- 掲載種別
- 研究論文(学術雑誌)
- DOI
- 10.1037/xge0000121
- 出版者・発行元
- AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
Reminders of death often elicit defensive responses in individuals, especially among those with low self-esteem. Although empirical evidence indicates that self-esteem serves as a buffer against mortality threats, the precise neural mechanism underlying this effect remains unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test the hypothesis that self-esteem modulates neural responses to death-related stimuli, especially functional connectivity within the limbic-frontal circuitry, thereby affecting subsequent defensive reactions. As predicted, individuals with high self-esteem subjected to a mortality threat exhibited increased amygdala-ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) connectivity during the processing of death-related stimuli compared with individuals who have low self-esteem. Further analysis revealed that stronger functional connectivity between the amygdala and the VLPFC predicted a subsequent decline in responding defensively to those who threaten one's beliefs. These results suggest that the amygdala-VLPFC interaction, which is modulated by self-esteem, can reduce the defensiveness caused by death-related stimuli, thereby providing a neural explanation for why individuals with high self-esteem exhibit less defensive reactions to mortality threats.
- リンク情報
- ID情報
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- DOI : 10.1037/xge0000121
- ISSN : 0096-3445
- eISSN : 1939-2222
- PubMed ID : 26569130
- Web of Science ID : WOS:000370623400003