Voxel-Based Morphometry of Optimistic and Pessimistic Brains: A Detailed Study Focusing on Age Range and Gender

Öz

The aim of the present study was to investigate brain volumes in pessimist and optimist participants. Therefore, in the present voxel-based morphometry research, it is investigated whether optimism has a corresponding counterpart in the structure of the brain. Thirty-two participants were screened via a publicly available dataset to test for this. The participants are divided into two groups: low optimists and high optimists, each with sixteen people. In comparison, a significant difference (P<0.05) was not found between the groups we created as a result of statistical calculations; however, statistically significant results (P<0.001) were obtained via a detailed VBM analysis in many brain regions, especially the thalamus, amygdala, left insula, superior frontal gyrus, and right cerebellum regions. These differences were identified and reported.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Voxel based morphometry
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Optimistic
• Pessimistic

Kaynakça

1. Aberg E. 2021. Investigating the neural substrates and neural markers of optimism and optimism bias: a systematic review. Högskolevägen: Högskolan of Skövde, 2021: 1-29.
2. Alessandri G, De Pascalis V. 2017. Double dissociation between the neural correlates of the general and specific factors of the Life Orientation Test–Revised. Cognit Affect Behav Neurosci, 17(5): 917-931.
3. Ashburner J, Friston KJ. 2000. Voxel-based morphometry - the methods. NeuroImage, 11(6): 805-821.
4. Ashburner JF. 2000. Voxel-based morphometry - the methods. Neuroimage, 11(6): 805-821.
5. Babayan A, Erbey M, Kumral D, Reinelt RD, Reiter AMF, Röbbig J, Schaare LH, Uhlig M, Gaebler M, Villringer A. 2019. A Mind-brain-body dataset of MRI, EEG, cognition, emotion, and peripheral physiology in young and old adults. Sci Data, 6: 180308.
6. Blair KS, Otero M, Teng C, Geraci M, Ernst M, Blair RJR, Grillon C, Pine DS. 2017. Reduced optimism and a heightened neural response to everyday worries is specific to Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and not seen in social anxiety. Psychol Med, 47(10): 1806-1815.
7. Blair KS, Otero M, Teng C, Jabobs M, Odenheimer S, Pine DS, Blair RJR. 2013. Dissociable roles of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in value representation and optimistic bias. NeuroImage, 78: 103-110.
8. Bush G, Luu P, Posner MI. 2000. Cognitive and emotional influences in anterior cingulate cortex. Trends Cogn Sci, 4(6): 215-222.

9. Carver CS, Scheier MF, Segerstrom SC. 2010. Optimism. Clin Psychol Rev, 30(7): 879-889.
10. Davidson RJ, Putnam KM, Larson CL. 2000. Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation: A possible prelude to violence. Science, 289(5479): 591-594.
11. Dolcos S, Hu Y, Iordan AD, Moore M, Dolcos F. 2016. Optimism and the brain: Trait optimism mediates the protective role of the orbitofrontal cortex gray matter volume against anxiety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 11(2): 263-271.
12. Dolcos S, Hu Y, Iordan AD, Moore M, Dolcos F. 2016. Optimism and the brain: Trait optimism mediates the protective role of the orbitofrontal cortex gray matter volume against anxiety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 11(2): 263-271.
13. Egorova N, Veldsman M, Cumming T, Brodtmann A. 2017. Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in post-stroke depression. NeuroImage Clin, 16: 116-124.
14. Golchert J, Smallwood J, Jefferies E, Liem F, Huntenburg JM, Falkiewicz M, Lauckner ME, Oligschläger S, Villringer A, Margulies DS. 2017a. In need of constraint: Understanding the role of the cingulate cortex in the impulsive mind. NeuroImage, 146: 804-813.
15. Golchert J, Smallwood J, Jefferies E, Seli P, Huntenburg JM, Liem F, Lauckner ME, Oligschläger S, Bernhardt CB, Villringer A, Margulies DS. 2017b. Individual variation in intentionality in the mind-wandering state is reflected in the integration of the default-mode, fronto-parietal, and limbic networks. NeuroImage, 146: 226-235.
16. Jiang L, Zuo XN. 2016. Regional homogeneity: A multimodal, multiscale neuroimaging marker of the human connectome. Neuroscientist, 22(5): 486-505.
17. Kuzmanovic B, Jefferson A, Vogeley K. 2016. The role of the neural reward circuitry in self-referential optimistic belief updates. NeuroImage, 133: 151-162.
18. Lai H, Wang S, Zhao Y, Qiu C, Gong O. 2020. Neurostructural correlates of optimism: Gray matter density in the putamen predicts dispositional optimism in late adolescence. Hum Brain Mapp, 41(6): 1459-1471.
19. Levens SM, Gotlib IH. 2012. The effects of optimism and pessimism on updating emotional information in working memory. Cogn Emot, 26(2): 341-350.
20. Mendes N, Oligschlaeger S, Lauckner ME, Golchert J, Huntenburg JM, Falkiewicz M, Osoianu A. 2017. A functional connectome phenotyping dataset including cognitive state and personality measures. bioRxiv, 164764.
21. Ocklenburg S, Güntürkün O. 2018. Chapter 9 - Structural Hemispheric Asymmetries. In The Lateralized Brain: 1st Edition, the Neuroscience and Evolution of Hemispheric Asymmetries. Academic Press, London, UK, pp: 239-262.
22. Oligschläger S, Huntenburg JM, Golchert J, Lauckner ME, Bonnen TR, Margulies DS. 2016. Gradients of connectivity distance are anchored in primary cortex. Brain Struct Funct, 2016: 1-10.
23. Qiu C, Feng Y, Meng Y, Liao W, Huang X, Lui S, Zhu C, Chen H, Gong Q, Zhang W. 2015. Analysis of altered baseline brain activity in drug-naive adult patients with social anxiety disorder using resting-state functional MRI. Psychiatry Invest, 12(3): 372.
24. Ran Q, Yang J, Yang W, Wie D, Qiu J, Zhang D. 2017. The association between resting functional connectivity and dispositional optimism. PLoS ONE, 12(7): 1-13.
25. Sharot T, Riccardi AM, Raio CM, Phelps EA. 2007. Neural mechanisms mediating optimism bias. Nature, 450(7166): 102-105.
26. Sharot T. 2011. The optimism bias. Curr Biol, 21(23): R941-R945.
27. Wang S, Zhao Y, Cheng B, Wang X, Yang X, Chen T, Suo X, Gong Q. 2018. The optimistic brain: Trait optimism mediates the influence of resting-state brain activity and connectivity on anxiety in late adolescence. Hum Brain Mapp, 39(10): 3943-3955.
28. Whitwell JL. 2009. Voxel-based morphometry: An automated technique for assessing structural changes in the brain. J Neurosci, 29(31): 9661-9664.
29. Yang J, Wie D, Wang K, Qiu J. 2013. Gray matter correlates of dispositional optimism: A voxel-based morphometry study. Neurosci Lett, 553(22): 201-205.