The child brain computes and utilizes internalized maternal choices.
The child brain computes and utilizes internalized maternal choices.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1038/ncomms11700
复制
发表时间：
2016-05-24
影响因子：
16.6
通讯作者：
Bruce AS
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lim SL;Cherry JB;Davis AM;Balakrishnan SN;Ha OR;Bruce JM;Bruce AS
随着孩子的成长，他们逐渐学会如何独立做决定。然而，对于自我调节和执行认知功能仍在成熟的孩子来说，选择健康但不那么美味的食物等决定可能是一项挑战。我们提出了一个计算决策过程，其中儿童估计他们的母亲的选择，以及他们的个人食物偏好。通过在真实食物选择过程中使用功能性磁共振成像，我们发现腹内侧前额叶皮层（vmPFC）编码儿童自己的偏好，而左背外侧前额叶皮层（dlPFC）在儿童选择时编码他们预测的母亲的选择。此外，在儿童自己选择时，左dlPFC区域显示出与vmPFC的抑制性功能连接。我们的研究表明，在某种程度上，儿童在为自己做选择时利用他们感知到的照顾者的选择，这可能是决策的外部调节器，导致最佳的健康决策。母亲提倡吃健康的食物，而孩子喜欢吃美味的食物。Lim和他的同事们证明，孩子们在决定吃什么的时候会考虑母亲的食物选择，并提供这个决策过程的神经关联。
As children grow, they gradually learn how to make decisions independently. However, decisions like choosing healthy but less-tasty foods can be challenging for children whose self-regulation and executive cognitive functions are still maturing. We propose a computational decision-making process in which children estimate their mother's choices for them as well as their individual food preferences. By employing functional magnetic resonance imaging during real food choices, we find that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encodes children's own preferences and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) encodes the projected mom's choices for them at the time of children's choice. Also, the left dlPFC region shows an inhibitory functional connectivity with the vmPFC at the time of children's own choice. Our study suggests that in part, children utilize their perceived caregiver's choices when making choices for themselves, which may serve as an external regulator of decision-making, leading to optimal healthy decisions. Mothers advocate eating healthy foods while children like to eat tasty foods. Lim and colleagues demonstrate that children incorporate their mothers' food choices while deciding what to eat as well as provide the neural correlates of this decision making process.