Episodic future thinking predicts differences in delay discounting: The mediating role of hippocampal structure

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Yiqun Guo¹  Huimin Wu⁴  Zhangyong Li²  Le Zhao⁵  Tingyong Feng³ 

[1] School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications;School of Bioinformatics, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications;Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education;Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University;Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University

关键词: episodic future thinking;    delay discounting;    VBM;    Hippocampus;    Mediation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992245

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

A growing body of evidence suggests that engagement in episodic future thinking (EFT) could reduce delay discounting rates. However, little is known about whether individual differences in the ability of EFT are associated with differences in delay discounting in young adults. In the present study, this association was tested in healthy college students (n = 106, 19.98 ± 1.56 years), and the neural basis underlying this association was also examined using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method. Behavioral analysis indicated that individual differences in EFT ability can significantly negatively predict discounting rates. VBM analysis first revealed that the EFT score positively correlated with gray matter volume (GMV) of a cluster in hippocampus, while negatively correlated with GMV of a cluster in rostral anterior cingulate cortex. We also found the GMV of a cluster in the mPFC was positively correlated with delay discounting. ROI analysis further revealed that individual differences in delay discounting could be reliably predicted by the GMV in the hippocampus and mPFC. The final mediation analysis showed that the GMV of the hippocampus plays a significant mediating role in the association between EFT and delay discounting, and the indirect effect of the hippocampal GMV accounts for 33.2% of the total effect. Our results suggest that individuals’ EFT ability may be an important determinant of differences in delay discounting, and highlight the hippocampal structure as a neural biomarker for explaining the association between EFT ability and delay discounting.

【 授权许可】

CC BY