Amygdala-Hippocampal Connectivity Changes During Acute Psychosocial Stress: Joint Effect of Early Life Stress and Oxytocin.
Previous evidence shows that acute stress changes both amygdala activity and its connectivity with a distributed brain network. Early life stress (ELS), especially emotional abuse (EA), is associated with altered reactivity to psychosocial stress in adulthood and moderates or even reverses the stress-attenuating effect of oxytocin (OXT). The neural underpinnings of the interaction between ELS and OXT remain unclear, though. Therefore, we here investigate the joint effect of ELS and OXT on transient changes in amygdala-centered functional connectivity induced by acute psychosocial stress, using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design. Psychophysiological interaction analysis in the placebo session revealed stress-induced increases in functional connectivity between amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, putamen, caudate and thalamus. Regression analysis showed that EA was positively associated with stress-induced changes in connectivity between amygdala and hippocampus. Moreover, hierarchical linear regression showed that this positive association between EA and stress-induced amygdala-hippocampal connectivity was moderated after the administration of intranasal OXT. Amygdala-hippocampal connectivity in the OXT session correlated negatively with cortisol stress responses. Our findings suggest that altered amygdala-hippocampal functional connectivity during psychosocial stress may have a crucial role in the altered sensitivity to OXT effects in individuals who have experienced EA in their childhood.
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Yan
Y
Fan
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Karin
K
Pestke
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Melanie
M
Feeser
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Sabine
S
Aust
Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.|Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Jens C
JC
Pruessner
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Heinz
H
Böker
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Malek
M
Bajbouj
Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Simone
S
Grimm
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
D010121:Oxytocin; D010100:Oxygen