Neurostructural correlates of dispositional self-compassion. (17th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guan, Fang; Liu, Guanmin; Pedersen, Walker S.; Chen, Outong; Zhao, Sasa; Sui, Jie; Peng, Kaiping
• Is Part Of: Neuropsychologia. Volume 160(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09-17
• Subjects: Self-compassion -- Self-judgment -- Mindfulness -- Emotion regulation -- Voxel-based morphometry; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychologie -- Périodiques; Neuropsychology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107978
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-3932

Abstract

Abstract: Self-compassion is an important emotion regulation strategy predicting positive psychological health and fewer psychopathological problems, but little is known about its structural neural basis. In the current study, we investigated the neurostructural correlates of dispositional self-compassion and its components using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). We found that self-compassion was inversely correlated with gray matter volume (GMV) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which was primarily driven by the reduced self-judgment component. We also found that the mindfulness component was associated with greater GMV in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex and the left supplementary motor area, while the isolation and the over-identification components were both correlated with greater GMV in the right inferior temporal gyrus, and over-identification additionally related to less GMV in visual areas. Our findings suggest that dispositional self-compassion and its components are associated with brain structure in regions involved in emotion regulation, self-referential and emotion processing, with implications for the cognitive and neural mechanisms of self-compassion as well as those underlying the effects of self-compassion on its health outcomes. Highlights: Dispositional self-compassion (SC) is inversely linked to GMV in the left DLPFC. The link between SC and smaller DLPFC is primarily driven by reduced self-judgment. The mindfulness component of SC is linked to greater GMV in DMPFC/ACC and left SMA. SC relates to brain regions involved in emotion regulation and self-processing.