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Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Advance Access published online on October 19, 2008
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, doi:10.1093/scan/nsn035
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© The Author (2008). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Right ventromedial prefrontal cortex: a neuroanatomical correlate of impulse control in boys

Aaron D. Boes1,2, Antoine Bechara3, Daniel Tranel4, Steve W. Anderson4, Lynn Richman5 and Peg Nopoulos1

1Department of Psychiatry, 2Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, 3Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 4Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, and 5Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

Emerging data on the neural mechanisms of impulse control highlight brain regions involved in emotion and decision making, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala. Variation in the development of these regions may influence one's propensity for impulsivity and, by extension, one's vulnerability to disorders involving low impulse control (e.g. substance abuse). Here we test the hypothesis that lower impulse control is associated with structural differences in these regions, particularly on the right side, in 61 normal healthy boys aged 7–17. We assessed parent- and teacher-reported behavioral ratings of impulse control (motor impulsivity and non-planning behavior) in relation to vmPFC, ACC and amygdala volume, measured using structural magnetic resonance imaging and FreeSurfer. A regression analysis showed that the right vmPFC was a significant predictor of impulse control ratings. Follow-up tests showed (i) a significant correlation between low impulse control and decreased right vmPFC volume, especially the medial sector of the vmPFC and (ii) significantly lower right vmPFC volume in a subgroup of 20 impulsive boys relative to 20 non-impulsive boys. These results are consistent with the notion that right vmPFC provides a neuroanatomical correlate of the normal variance in impulse control observed in boys.

Keywords: impulsive; FreeSurfer; brain development; structural MRI; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; externalizing

Correspondence should be addressed to Aaron Boes, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, W278 GH, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242. E-mail: aaron-boes{at}uiowa.edu

Received February 11, 2008. Accepted September 17, 2008.


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