Conscientiousness associated with efficiency of the salience/ventral attention network: Replication in three samples using individualized parcellation
Tyler A. Sassenberg, Philip Burton, Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, Rex E. Jung, Aldo Rustichini, R. Nathan Spreng, Colin G. DeYoung
Abstract
Previous research in the field of personality neuroscience has identified associations of conscientiousness and related constructs like impulsivity and self-control with structural and functional properties of particular regions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and insula. Network-based conceptions of brain function suggest that these regions probably belong to a single large-scale network, labeled the salience/ventral attention network (SVAN). The current study tested associations between conscientiousness and resting-state functional connectivity in this network using two community samples (N = 244 and 239) and data from the Human Connectome Project (N = 1000). Individualized parcellation was used to improve the accuracy of functional localization and to facilitate replication. Functional connectivity was measured using an index of network efficiency, a graph theoretical measure quantifying the capacity for parallel information transfer within a network. Efficiency of a set of parcels in the SVAN was significantly associated with conscientiousness in all samples. Findings are consistent with a theory of conscientiousness as a function of variation in neural networks underlying effective prioritization of goals.