title: Childhood trauma history differentiates amygdala response to sad faces within MDD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heightened amygdala reactivity to aversive stimuli in major depression is regarded as a core feature of the underlying physiology but individual differences in amygdala response may also arise secondary to persistent changes in limbic function during early neurodevelopment relative to stressors such as childhood trauma. We sought to determine whether heightened amygdala response is a core feature of depression or a general risk factor for psychopathology secondary to early life stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty unipolar depressed patients with and without a history of significant early life trauma and 16 healthy comparison subjects underwent functional MRI in a cross-sectional study comparing neural response to sad and neutral faces.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a robust positive correlation between physical abuse and right amygdala response. A much weaker relationship with other forms of abuse and neglect was also found, suggesting differences between abuse subtypes and amygdala response. Group differences in amygdala response suggest heightened reactivity was not characteristic of persons with depression in general but was true primarily in those with a significant history of abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest the relationship between childhood trauma and risk for depression is mediated by heightened amygdala response but varies by abuse type. Preliminary evidence for two distinct depression phenotypes based on trauma history was also supported, consistent with differential etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, Nashville, TN, USA. merdia.grant@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Merida M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cannistraci
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hollon
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shelton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone