Threat neurocircuitry predicts the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in a longitudinal study
Threat neurocircuitry predicts the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in a longitudinal study
Background: owing to high heterogeneity and comorbidity, the shared and unique neural mechanisms underlying the development of anxiety and major depressive disorders remain unclear. Using a dimensional model describing shared versus unique symptoms associated with anxiety and depression, this study investigated how longitudinal changes in symptom dimensions relate to threat neurocircuitry.
Methods: participants were 18- to 19-year-olds (N = 279, 186 females) who completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression at baseline and at 10, 20, and 30 months. Linear slopes of symptom dimensions of general distress, fear, and anhedonia-apprehension were estimated through a trilevel factorial model. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained while participants performed Pavlovian fear conditioning tasks at baseline and 30 months, including three phases of fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall. Neural responses in regions of interest related to threat neural circuitry (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) were extracted.
Results: linear mixed models used to estimate relationships between changes of symptom dimensions and neural responses revealed two major findings: 1) greater neural responses to threatening stimuli during fear acquisition at baseline were associated with a greater increase in fear symptoms during the 30-month prospective period; and 2) elevated neural responses to the extinguished stimulus during extinction recall at 30 months were negatively associated with changes in general distress, suggesting that greater increases in general distress are associated with larger deficits in extinction memory.
Conclusions: these findings improve our understanding of pathophysiological pathways underlying the development of anxiety and depression, while separating symptom dimensions that are shared versus unique between the two disorders.
Acute threat, Anxiety disorders, Depression, Fear conditioning, fMRI, Trilevel model, vmPFC
102-110
Peng, Yujia
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Knotts, Jeffrey D.
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Young, Katherine S.
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Bookheimer, Susan Y.
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Nusslock, Robin
e254120f-5efa-4ab7-81c6-5f85d510aaee
Zinbarg, Richard E.
57d9d1a0-5ec4-42ae-b3ee-a66767220f2d
Kelley, Nicholas J.
445e767b-ad9f-44f2-b2c6-d981482bb90b
Echiverri-Cohen, Aileen M.
ea6961d5-8ba9-451e-83aa-1bef8ae47a2b
Craske, Michelle G.
73ebe43a-d149-4bd1-a1ce-8cc69e8c3929
January 2023
Peng, Yujia
9d90521f-dd75-4412-bdc3-eaa26a901771
Knotts, Jeffrey D.
92b9fdd5-6d63-46dd-99ad-7e93a3582db1
Young, Katherine S.
f2e4cae8-7bbd-4ebe-8015-89dabcaa020d
Bookheimer, Susan Y.
f48f15ba-7ff0-4b9c-b1c4-0e11eaf763de
Nusslock, Robin
e254120f-5efa-4ab7-81c6-5f85d510aaee
Zinbarg, Richard E.
57d9d1a0-5ec4-42ae-b3ee-a66767220f2d
Kelley, Nicholas J.
445e767b-ad9f-44f2-b2c6-d981482bb90b
Echiverri-Cohen, Aileen M.
ea6961d5-8ba9-451e-83aa-1bef8ae47a2b
Craske, Michelle G.
73ebe43a-d149-4bd1-a1ce-8cc69e8c3929
Peng, Yujia, Knotts, Jeffrey D., Young, Katherine S., Bookheimer, Susan Y., Nusslock, Robin, Zinbarg, Richard E., Kelley, Nicholas J., Echiverri-Cohen, Aileen M. and Craske, Michelle G.
(2023)
Threat neurocircuitry predicts the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in a longitudinal study.
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 8 (1), .
(doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.12.013).
Abstract
Background: owing to high heterogeneity and comorbidity, the shared and unique neural mechanisms underlying the development of anxiety and major depressive disorders remain unclear. Using a dimensional model describing shared versus unique symptoms associated with anxiety and depression, this study investigated how longitudinal changes in symptom dimensions relate to threat neurocircuitry.
Methods: participants were 18- to 19-year-olds (N = 279, 186 females) who completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression at baseline and at 10, 20, and 30 months. Linear slopes of symptom dimensions of general distress, fear, and anhedonia-apprehension were estimated through a trilevel factorial model. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained while participants performed Pavlovian fear conditioning tasks at baseline and 30 months, including three phases of fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction recall. Neural responses in regions of interest related to threat neural circuitry (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) were extracted.
Results: linear mixed models used to estimate relationships between changes of symptom dimensions and neural responses revealed two major findings: 1) greater neural responses to threatening stimuli during fear acquisition at baseline were associated with a greater increase in fear symptoms during the 30-month prospective period; and 2) elevated neural responses to the extinguished stimulus during extinction recall at 30 months were negatively associated with changes in general distress, suggesting that greater increases in general distress are associated with larger deficits in extinction memory.
Conclusions: these findings improve our understanding of pathophysiological pathways underlying the development of anxiety and depression, while separating symptom dimensions that are shared versus unique between the two disorders.
Text
Threat Neurocircuitry Predicts the Development of Anxiety
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 27 December 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 11 January 2022
Published date: January 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant No. R01MH100117 [to MGC, SYB, RN, and REZ]).
Keywords:
Acute threat, Anxiety disorders, Depression, Fear conditioning, fMRI, Trilevel model, vmPFC
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 456835
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/456835
ISSN: 2451-9022
PURE UUID: cd42fa2d-2712-4da3-8143-0da41b5c35d7
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Date deposited: 12 May 2022 16:47
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 05:29
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Contributors
Author:
Yujia Peng
Author:
Jeffrey D. Knotts
Author:
Katherine S. Young
Author:
Susan Y. Bookheimer
Author:
Robin Nusslock
Author:
Richard E. Zinbarg
Author:
Aileen M. Echiverri-Cohen
Author:
Michelle G. Craske
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