Amygdala habituation and uncinate fasciculus connectivity in adolescence: A multi-modal approach

Tyler C Hein; Whitney I Mattson; Hailey L Dotterer; Colter Mitchell; Nestor Lopez-Duran; Moriah E Thomason; Scott J Peltier; Robert C Welsh; Luke W Hyde; Christopher S Monk

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.058

Amygdala habituation and uncinate fasciculus connectivity in adolescence: A multi-modal approach

Neuroimage. 2018 Dec:183:617-626. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.058. Epub 2018 Aug 30.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Behavioral Health at the Research Institute of Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
³ Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Population Studies Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
⁵ Functional MRI Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: csmonk@umich.edu.

Abstract

Despite prior extensive investigations of the interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, few studies have simultaneously considered activation and structural connectivity in this circuit, particularly as it pertains to adolescent socioemotional development. The current multi-modal study delineated the correspondence between uncinate fasciculus (UF) connectivity and amygdala habituation in a large adolescent sample that was drawn from a population-based sample. We then examined the influence of demographic variables (age, gender, and pubertal status) on the relation between UF connectivity and amygdala habituation. 106 participants (15-17 years) completed DTI and an fMRI emotional face processing task. Left UF fractional anisotropy was associated with left amygdala habituation to fearful faces, suggesting that increased structural connectivity of the UF may facilitate amygdala regulation. Pubertal status moderated this structure-function relation, such that the association was stronger in those who were less mature. Therefore, UF connectivity may be particularly important for emotion regulation during early puberty. This study is the first to link structural and functional limbic circuitry in a large adolescent sample with substantial representation of ethnic minority participants, providing a more comprehensive understanding of socioemotional development in an understudied population.

Keywords: Adolescence; Amygdala; DTI; Emotion; fMRI.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Development / physiology*
Amygdala* / anatomy & histology
Amygdala* / diagnostic imaging
Amygdala* / physiology
Diffusion Tensor Imaging / methods*
Emotions / physiology*
Facial Expression
Female
Functional Neuroimaging / methods*
Habituation, Psychophysiologic / physiology*
Humans
Male
Neural Pathways / anatomy & histology
Neural Pathways / diagnostic imaging
Neural Pathways / physiology
Prefrontal Cortex* / anatomy & histology
Prefrontal Cortex* / diagnostic imaging
Prefrontal Cortex* / physiology
Puberty / physiology*
White Matter* / anatomy & histology
White Matter* / diagnostic imaging
White Matter* / physiology

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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