Neural Representations of Death in the Cortical Midline Structures Promote Temporal Discounting.

ABSTRACT: Death is an important reminder that our lives are finite. Although some studies have shown that thinking about one's own death increases temporal discounting (i.e., the devaluing of future rewards), the underlying neural mechanisms are still unknown. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, we compared the neural and behavioral processes of temporal discounting across four conditions involving distinct types of future thinking (death related, negative, neutral, and positive). Replicating prior research, the behavioral evidence showed that temporal discounting increased when thinking about one's own future death. Multivoxel pattern analysis showed that death-related future thinking was decoded in default mode regions, including the inferior parietal lobule, precuneus, and medi

SUBMITTER: Yanagisawa K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8152905 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature