White matter tracts alterations underpinning reward and conflict processing

Arashk Mallahzadeh, Mahan Shafie, Mahdi Tahvilian, Mohammad Sadeghi, Golsa Moslemian, Pouria Barzin, Maryam Bemanalizadeh, Mahsa Mayeli, Mohammad Hadi Aarabi
Journal of Affective Disorders. 2023-06-01; 331: 251-258
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.070

1. J Affect Disord. 2023 Jun 15;331:251-258. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.070. Epub
2023 Mar 22.

White matter tracts alterations underpinning reward and conflict processing.

Mallahzadeh A(1), Shafie M(1), Tahvilian M(1), Sadeghi M(1), Moslemian G(1),
Barzin P(1), Bemanalizadeh M(2), Mayeli M(3), Aarabi MH(4).

Author information:
(1)NeuroTRACT Association, Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; School of Medicine, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
(2)NeuroTRACT Association, Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Child Growth and Development
Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of
Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
(3)NeuroTRACT Association, Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; School of Medicine, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Diagnostic Radiology
& Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore,
Maryland, USA. Electronic address: .
(4)Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padova Neuroscience Center, University of
Padova, Padua, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) is proposed as a
neurobiological system that eventually led to emotion and motivation-based
constructs of personality. Traditionally segmented into the behavioral
activation system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), RST is
commonly used to describe personality and behavior. Although there have been
studies linking gray matter alterations with BIS/BAS subscales, the role of
white matter (WM) alterations is yet controversial. We aimed to investigate the
specific WM tracts associated with BIS/BAS scores.
METHODS: 220 healthy participants (mean age = 39.14 ± 20.23, 80 (35.7 %)
females) were evaluated using the BIS/BAS questionnaire from the LEMON database.
Diffusion MRI connectometry (DMRI) was used to investigate the WM correlates of
BIS/BAS subscales in each gender group. Multiple regression models with the
covariates of age, handedness, and education were fitted to address the
correlation of local connectomes with BIS/BAS components.
RESULTS: DMRI connectometry revealed that the quantitative anisotropy (QA) value
of the splenium of the corpus callosum, right cerebellum, middle cerebellar
peduncle, and superior cerebellar peduncle, had a significant negative
correlation with each BIS/BAS subscale. In contrast, the QA value in the body of
the corpus callosum and bilateral cingulum showed a positive correlation with
BIS/BAS subscales.
CONCLUSION: The integrity of WM in certain tracts is associated with behavioral
activation and inhibition. This finding expands our knowledge of the neural
networks associated with risk-taking and reward-seeking behaviors.