Human attachment security is mediated by the amygdala: evidence from combined fMRI and psychophysiological measures.
The neural basis of human attachment security remains unexamined. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and simultaneous recordings of skin conductance levels, we measured neural and autonomic responses in healthy adult individuals during a semantic conceptual priming task measuring human attachment security "by proxy". Performance during a stress but not a neutral prime condition was associated with response in bilateral amygdalae. Furthermore, levels of activity within bilateral amygdalae were highly positively correlated with attachment insecurity and autonomic response during the stress prime condition. We thereby demonstrate a key role of the amygdala in mediating autonomic activity associated with human attachment insecurity.
Lemche
Erwin
E
Division of Psychological Medicine, Section of Neuroscience and Emotion, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom. e.lemche@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Giampietro
Vincent P
VP
Surguladze
Simon A
SA
Amaro
Edson J
EJ
Andrew
Christopher M
CM
Williams
Steven C R
SC
Brammer
Michael J
MJ
Lawrence
Natalia
N
Maier
Markus A
MA
Russell
Tamara A
TA
Simmons
Andrew
A
Ecker
Christine
C
Joraschky
Peter
P
Phillips
Mary L
ML
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology