The neural basis of the effect of regulatory mode on intertemporal choice: the mediating role of mPFC

Abstract

Decisions that involve tradeoffs between outcomes that occur at different points in time are called intertemporal choice. A consistent finding regarding intertemporal choice is that delayed outcomes are discounted relative to immediate ones. The extent of preference for delayed rewards is captured by delay discounting rate, which expresses that the subjective value of a delayed reward declines as a function of delay. It is generally thought that people are fairly stable in their intertemporal preference, and it has been suggested that they may have a genetic component. Previous studies have shown that the chronic regulatory mode orientation can affect intertemporal choice. Steeper delay discounting is related to lower assessment orientation, while related to higher locomotion orientation. However, the cognitive and neural mechanism of the effect of regulatory mode on intertemporal choice is still unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have identified a valuation network (such as ventral striatum, posterior cingulate cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex) in delay discounting, which is the neural computation and representation of the subjective values of rewards. Thus, we investigated the role of the valuation network in the relation between regulatory mode and delay discounting.