The structural integrity of an amygdala-prefrontal pathway predicts trait anxiety.

Full Abstract

Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and showed that the strength of an axonal pathway identified between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex predicted individual differences in trait anxiety. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) functional localizer that has been shown to produce reliable amygdala activation was collected in 20 psychiatrically healthy subjects. Voxelwise regression analyses using this fMRI amygdala reactivity as a regressor were performed on fractional anisotropy images derived from DTI. This analysis identified a white matter pathway between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Individual differences in the structural integrity of this putative amygdala-prefrontal pathway were inversely correlated with trait anxiety levels (i.e., higher pathway strength predicted lower anxiety). More generally, this study illustrates a strategy for combining fMRI and DTI to identify individual differences in structural pathways that predict behavioral outcomes.

Author information

Author/s: Kim, M Justin (MJ); Whalen, Paul J (PJ);

Affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA. justin.m.kim(-atsign-)dartmouth.edu

Grants: MH080716 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 29 (issue 37) : pp 11614-8

Dates: Created 2009/09/17; Completed 2009/10/02;

PMID: 19759308, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/2/2009, IMS Date: )

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