Abstract

Trait impulsivity is known as a psychological construct that explains behavioral problems, including lack of attention, personality disorders, and substance use disorders in children and adolescents. While neurobiological mechanisms of adolescents’ impulsivity measured with behavioral lab tasks have been revealed using functional brain imaging techniques, little has been known whether trait impulsivity measured with self-reporting scales reflects a relevant neurobiological entity. In this study, multi-dimensional trait impulsivity scale (UPPS-P) and resting-state fMRI were acquired from 63 typically developing adolescents. We used a canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to examine whether trait impulsivity reflects the brain connectivities of impulsivity network by targeting the brain regions with the Neurosynth meta-analysis system. We found that the linear combination of UPPS-P item-level responses was associated with the linear combination of impulsivity-relevant brain connectivities in the factor items of negative urgency, sensation seeking, and positive urgency. On the contrary, the brain connectivities that were not based on the meta-analysis of impulsivity did not show a meaningful canonical correlation. These results suggest that specific questionnaires that compose the trait impulsivity scale are reflective of individual differences of adolescents’ neural circuitry of impulsiveness.