title: Amygdala reactivity to sad faces in preschool children: An early neural marker of persistent negative affect.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elevated negative affect is a highly salient risk factor for later internalizing disorders. Very little is known about the early neurobiological correlates of negative affect and whether they associate with developmental changes in negative emotion. Such information may prove critical for identifying children deviating from normative developmental trajectories of negative affect and at increased risk for later internalizing disorders. The current study examined the relationship between amygdala activity and negative affect measured concurrently and approximately 12 months later in preschool-age children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Amygdala activity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 31 medication-naive preschool age children. Negative affect was measured using parent report both at the time of scan and 12 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Negative affect at baseline was positively correlated with right amygdala activity to sad faces, right amygdala activity to happy faces, and left amygdala activity to happy faces. Right amygdala activity to sad faces also positively predicted parent-reported negative affect 12 months later even when negative affect reported at baseline was controlled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current findings provide preliminary evidence for amygdala activity as a potential biomarker of persistent negative affect during early childhood and suggest future work examining the origins and long-term implications of this relationship is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Box: 8511, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States. Electronic address: gaffreym@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gaffrey
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Box: 8511, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States; Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Psychology, Campus Box: 8511, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States; Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Radiology, Campus Box: 8511, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States.
authors.forename: Deanna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Barch
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Box: 8511, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States.
authors.forename: Joan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Luby
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Amygdala; Child; Development; Irritability; Negative affect; fMRI