title: Individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity with the executive network: support for a cerebellar role in anxiety vulnerability.
abstract: This study characterized cerebellar connectivity with executive intrinsic functional connectivity networks. Using seed regions at the right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (dlPFC) and right orbital frontoinsula, we measured resting-state brain connectivity in healthy college-aged participants. Based on the previous research demonstrating a relationship between the cerebellum and self-report measures of behavioral inhibition, we assessed individual differences in connectivity between groups. Overall, intrinsic activity in cerebellar lobule VIII was significantly correlated with the executive network and cerebellar Crus I with the salience network. Between-group comparisons indicated stronger cerebellar connectivity with the executive network in behaviorally inhibited individuals. Intrinsic activity in Crus I, a region previously implicated in non-motor cerebellar functions, significantly correlated with intrinsic activity in the right dlPFC seed region. These findings support a growing number of studies demonstrating cerebellar influence on higher cognitive processes, extending this relationship to individual differences in anxiety vulnerability.
authors.affiliation: Stress and Motivated Behavior Institute, East Orange, NJ, USA. mcaulfield@kesslerfoundation.org.|Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA. mcaulfield@kesslerfoundation.org.|Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, USA. mcaulfield@kesslerfoundation.org.
authors.forename: Meghan D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Caulfield
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.|Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Stress and Motivated Behavior Institute, East Orange, NJ, USA.|Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: J Devin
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: McAuley
authors.affiliation: Stress and Motivated Behavior Institute, East Orange, NJ, USA.|Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.|Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Servatius
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety vulnerability; Behavioral inhibition; Cerebellum; Executive network; Resting-state functional connectivity