Authors:
Minamoto, T., Yaoi, K.., Osaka, M., Osaka, N. 

Title:
Extrapunitive and intropunitive individuals activate different parts of the prefrontal 
cortex under an ego-blocking frustration

Journal:
PLoS ONE、9、e86036、2014

doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.008603

論文URL:
http://www.plodone.org

Abstract:
Different people make different responses when they face a frustrating situation: 
some punish others (extrapunitive), while others punish themselves (intropunitive). 
Few studies have investigated the neural structures that differentiate extrapunitive 
and intropunitive individuals. The present fMRI study explored these neural 
structures using two different frustrating situations: an ego-blocking situation which 
blocks a desire or goal, and a superego-blocking situation which blocks self-esteem. 
In the ego-blocking condition, the extrapunitive group (n = 9) showed greater activation 
in the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, indicating that these individuals prefer 
emotional processing. On the other hand, the intropunitive group (n = 9) showed 
greater activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, possibly reflecting an effortful 
control for anger reduction. Such patterns were not observed in the superego-blocking 
condition. These results indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the source of individual 
differences in aggression direction in the ego-blocking situation. 

著者Contact先の email:
txminamoto@hus.osaka-u.ac.jp