The neural basis responsible for the relationship between trait anxiety and upward counterfactual thinking: the role of functional connectivity between precentral gyrus and dmPFC

People often reflect on how things end up and imagine how they could have turned out differently. The pervasive cognitive process of imagining alternative scenarios of actual events is termed counterfactual thinking (CT). Though evidence has been established linking CT and personality, little is known about the association between CT and trait anxiety and its underpinning neural substrates. This study leveraged multi-modality fMRI to address these issues. We conducted voxel-based morphometry analyses and functional connectivity analyses using a relatively large sample (n = 85) to explore the neural basis of the relationship between upward CT and trait anxiety. The behavioral data revealed a positive correlation between upward CT and trait anxiety. The VBM results found that upward CT was negatively associated with the GMV in the left precentral gyrus. Further, functional results revealed functional connectivities of the left precentral gyrus-dmPFC positively predicted upward CT. Finally, the impact of trait anxiety on upward CT was mediated by this functional connectivity. The results suggest that the somatosensory and monitoring network play vital roles in the influence of trait anxiety on upward CT.