Across group, RDLPFC positively mediated and the right thalamus negatively mediated the VST-risk avoidance relationship. The a path is from the VST (X) to each mediating region. The b path is from the mediating region (M) to risk avoidance (Y). The b path is calculated controlling for VST (X) and for other mediators. Path coefficients are shown next to arrows with standard errors in parentheses. The direct path c’ is calculated controlling for the mediator. Coefficients and p values were calculated using maxstat. ***p<0.001, **p<0.005, two-tailed. Ventral striatum (VST), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDLPFC), right thalamus (R thalamus)