Healthy dietary choices involve prefrontal mechanisms associated with long-term reward maximization but not working memory.
Cereb Cortex
; 34(7)2024 Jul 03.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39066505
ABSTRACT
Taste and health are critical factors to be considered when choosing foods. Prioritizing healthiness over tastiness requires self-control. It has also been suggested that self-control is guided by cognitive control. We then hypothesized that neural mechanisms underlying healthy food choice are associated with both self-control and cognitive control. Human participants performed a food choice task and a working memory task during functional MRI scanning. Their degree of self-control was assessed behaviorally by the value discount of delayed monetary rewards in intertemporal choice. Prioritizing healthiness in food choice was associated with greater activity in the superior, dorsolateral, and medial prefrontal cortices. Importantly, the prefrontal activity was greater in individuals with smaller delay discounting (i.e. high self-control) who preferred a delayed larger reward to an immediate smaller reward in intertemporal choice. On the other hand, working memory activity did not show a correlation with delay discounting or food choice activity, which was further supported by supplementary results that analyzed data from the Human Connectome Project. Our results suggest that the prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in healthy food choice, which requires self-control, but not working memory, for maximization of reward attainments in a remote future.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Recompensa
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética
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Conducta de Elección
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Corteza Prefrontal
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Descuento por Demora
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Preferencias Alimentarias
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Memoria a Corto Plazo
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cereb Cortex
Asunto de la revista:
CEREBRO
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Japón