Inferior Frontal Gyrus-Based Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Medium Dispositional Use of Reappraisal Strategy

Abstract

The previous neuroimaging functional connectivity analyses have indicated that the association between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and other brain regions results in better emotion regulation in reappraisal tasks. However, no study has explored the relationship between IFG-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and the dispositional use of reappraisal strategy. Therefore, the present study examined the potential associations between rsFC patterns of both left and right IFG and dispositional reappraisal use. One hundred healthy participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition. An approach of the seed-based rsFC analysis was recruited to estimate the functional connectivity maps of bilateral IFG with other brain regions, and the reappraisal scores from the ERQ were then correlated with the functional maps. Our findings showed that IFG-based rsFC was positively correlated with dispositional reappraisal only in the range of 4 to 5.5 points [medium reappraisal group (MRG)]. Specifically, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left/right IFG and bilateral temporal gyrus. Besides, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left IFG and bilateral superior parietal lobe (SPL), middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and right insula, as well as between right IFG and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In conclusion, these results indicate that bilateral IFG plays an important role in the medium use of the reappraisal strategy.

Keywords: emotion regulation; inferior frontal gyrus; medium reappraisal; prediction; resting-state functional connectivity.

FIGURE 1

Result of voxel-wise functional connectivity. Brain regions whose degree centrality correlated with reappraisal scores. Statistical threshold of P_uncorrected < 0.005 was used for cluster correcting.

FIGURE 2

Results of the left IFG-based rsFC related with dispositional use of reappraisal in MRG. (A) Brain regions whose rsFC correlated with reappraisal scores. The brown sphere represented the seed region, and the green circles were drawn to display the ROIs. (B) Partial regression scatter plots depicted the correlation between functional connectivity strength and reappraisal scores. Statistical threshold of false discovery rate P_FDR < 0.05 was used for cluster correcting.

FIGURE 3

Results of the right IFG-based rsFC related with dispositional use of reappraisal in MRG. (A) Brain regions whose rsFC correlated with reappraisal scores. The brown sphere represented the seed region, and the green circles were drawn to display the ROIs. (B) Partial regression scatter plots depicted the correlation between functional connectivity strength and reappraisal scores. Statistical threshold of false discovery rate P_FDR < 0.05 was used for cluster correcting.

FIGURE 4

Results of prediction in MRG. Severally using (A) the left and (B) the right IFG-based rsFC to predict reappraisal scores. The scatter plots and line charts [in both panels (A,B)] described a significant correlation and consistency between actual and predicted reappraisal scores, respectively.

FIGURE 5

Results of prediction between HRG and sMRG. We separately used (A) the left and (B) the right IFG-based rsFC of sMRG to predict the reappraisal scores of HRG. Scatter plots and line charts indicated non-significant correlation and consistency between actual and predicted reappraisal scores, respectively.