title: Insula-amygdala functional connectivity is correlated with habituation to repeated negative images.
abstract: Behavioral habituation during repeated exposure to aversive stimuli is an adaptive process. However, the way in which changes in self-reported emotional experience are related to the neural mechanisms supporting habituation remains unclear. We probed these mechanisms by repeatedly presenting negative images to healthy adult participants and recording behavioral and neural responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We were particularly interested in investigating patterns of activity in insula, given its significant role in affective integration, and in amygdala, given its association with appraisal of aversive stimuli and its frequent coactivation with insula. We found significant habituation behaviorally along with decreases in amygdala, occipital cortex and ventral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity with repeated presentation, whereas bilateral posterior insula, dorsolateral PFC and precuneus showed increased activation. Posterior insula activation during image presentation was correlated with greater negative affect ratings for novel presentations of negative images. Further, repeated negative image presentation was associated with increased functional connectivity between left posterior insula and amygdala, and increasing insula-amygdala functional connectivity was correlated with increasing behavioral habituation. These results suggest that habituation is subserved in part by insula-amygdala connectivity and involves a change in the activity of bottom-up affective networks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Denny
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guerreri
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah Jo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Mayson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rimsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Antonia S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: New
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Siever
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA, Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY 11367, USA, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468, USA HWarrenK@nyc.rr.com.
authors.forename: Harold W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Koenigsberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: amygdala; emotion; functional connectivity; habituation; insula