一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了沖動行為的一個可能的神經(jīng)基礎(chǔ),。和智慧一樣,，自我控制也常常被認為隨著年齡而增長,，但是自我控制的病理性喪失可能導(dǎo)致犯罪傾向。Benjamin J. Shannon及其同事進行了一個功能磁共振成像（fMRI）實驗,，用于比較一個看守嚴密的機構(gòu)里的100多個青少年罪犯與7到31歲的典型發(fā)育的人的大腦功能連接情況,。
這組作者在受試者安靜休息的時候掃描了他們的大腦,。這組作者報告說，在較少沖動的青少年罪犯中,，大腦所謂的“運動規(guī)劃”區(qū)域（它們參與了規(guī)劃運動）展現(xiàn)了與參與注意和認知控制的大腦區(qū)域一致的活動,。然而，對于更沖動的罪犯,，運動規(guī)劃區(qū)域的活動與大腦的所謂“默認模式”的網(wǎng)絡(luò)的活動相關(guān),，后者參與了無意識的、不受約束的認知,。在典型發(fā)育的人中間,，運動規(guī)劃區(qū)域活動的模式隨著年齡而變化。較年輕的人的大腦活動類似于更沖動的罪犯的活動,，而年齡較大的人的活動類似于較少沖動的罪犯的活動,。這組作者提出，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)可能有助于解釋為什么沖動的人的行動可能是受瞬間的滿足而不是受長期后果驅(qū)動的,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI： 10.1073/pnas.1108241108
Premotor functional connectivity predicts impulsivity in juvenile offenders
Shannon, Benjamin J.; Raichle, Marcus E.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Fair, Damien A.; Mills, Kathryn L.; Zhang, Dongyang; Bache, Kevin; Calhoun, Vince D.; Nigg, Joel T.; Nagel, Bonnie J.; Stevens, Alexander A.; Kiehl, Kent A.
Teenagers are often impulsive. In some cases this is a phase of normal development; in other cases impulsivity contributesto criminal behavior. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined resting-state functional connectivity amongbrain systems and behavioral measures of impulsivity in 107 juveniles incarcerated in a high-security facility. In less-impulsivejuveniles and normal controls, motor planning regions were correlated with brain networks associated with spatial attentionand executive control. In more-impulsive juveniles, these same regions correlated with the default-mode network, a constellationof brain areas associated with spontaneous, unconstrained, self-referential cognition. The strength of these brain–behaviorrelationships was sufficient to predict impulsivity scores at the individual level. Our data suggest that increased functionalconnectivity of motor-planning regions with networks subserving unconstrained, self-referential cognition, rather than thosesubserving executive control, heightens the predisposition to impulsive behavior in juvenile offenders. To further explorethe relationship between impulsivity and neural development, we studied functional connectivity in the same motor-planningregions in 95 typically developing individuals across a wide age span. The change in functional connectivity with age mirroredthat of impulsivity: younger subjects tended to exhibit functional connectivity similar to the more-impulsive incarceratedjuveniles, whereas older subjects exhibited a less-impulsive pattern. This observation suggests that impulsivity in the offenderpopulation is a consequence of a delay in typical development, rather than a distinct abnormality.
