title: Emotion regulation and trait anxiety are predicted by the microstructure of fibers between amygdala and prefrontal cortex.
abstract: Diffusion tensor imaging revealed that trait anxiety predicts the microstructural properties of a prespecified fiber tract between the amygdala and the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex. Besides this particular pathway, it is likely that other pathways are also affected. We investigated white matter differences in persons featuring an anxious or a nonanxious personality, taking into account all potential pathway connections between amygdala and anxiety-related regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Diffusion-weighted images, measures of trait anxiety and of reappraisal use (an effective emotion-regulation style), were collected in 48 females. With probabilistic tractography, pathways between the amygdala and the dorsolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, ventromedial PFC, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were delineated. The resulting network showed a direct ventral connection between amygdala and PFC and a second limbic connection following the fornix and the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Reappraisal use predicted the microstructure of pathways to all calculated PFC regions in the left hemisphere, indicating stronger pathways for persons with high reappraisal use. Trait anxiety predicted the microstructure in pathways to the ventromedial PFC and OFC, indexing weaker connections in trait-anxious persons. These effects appeared in the right hemisphere, supporting lateralization and top-down inhibition theories of emotion processing. Whereas a specific microstructure is associated with an anxious personality, a different structure subserves emotion regulation. Both are part of a broad fiber tract network between amygdala and PFC.
authors: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis and Annuschka.Eden@uni-muenster.de.
authors: Annuschka Salima
authors: AS
authors: Eden
authors: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Schreiber
authors: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Alfred
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4861-4808
authors: A
authors: Anwander
authors: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis and Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Katharina
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6940-3551
authors: K
authors: Keuper
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Inga
authors: I
authors: Laeger
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Zwanzger
authors: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany, and.
authors: Pienie
authors: P
authors: Zwitserlood
authors: Center of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Harald
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4349-1984
authors: H
authors: Kugel
authors: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis and Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Dobel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D016880:Anisotropy; D001007:Anxiety / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DTI; PFC; amygdala; reappraisal use; top-down inhibition; trait anxiety