title: Human attachment security is mediated by the amygdala: evidence from combined fMRI and psychophysiological measures.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychological Medicine, Section of Neuroscience and Emotion, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom. e.lemche@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lemche
authors.forename: Vincent P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Giampietro
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Surguladze
authors.forename: Edson J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Amaro
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Steven C R
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brammer
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Tamara A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ecker
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Joraschky
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: 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