Facing the role of the amygdala in emotional information processing

Baxter, Mark G.; Croxson, Paula L.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1219167110

Cited by 39 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(16 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although amygdala enlargements have been associated with cognitive impairments in HIV+ patients (Clark et al, 2012), studies examining affective functions in non-HIV samples have indicted that larger amygdala volumes are associated with improved social functions in otherwise healthy adults (Bickart, Wright, Dautoff, Dickerson, & Barrett, 2011; Kanai, Bahrami, Roylance, & Rees, 2012; Von Der Heide, Vyas, & Olson, 2014). It is well documented that the amygdalae support social interactions and are critical to emotional information processing (Adolphs, 2010; Baxter & Croxson, 2012; Fossati, 2012). In this context, our data provide strong evidence that HIV-related increases in amygdala volumes do not underlie the observed impairments in facial emotion recognition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facial emotion recognition impairments are associated with brain volume abnormalities in individuals with HIV

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Impaired facial emotion recognition abilities in HIV+ patients are well documented, but little is known about the neural etiology of these difficulties. We examined the relation of facial emotion recognition abilities to regional brain volumes in 44 HIV-positive (HIV+) and 44 HIV-negative control (HC) adults. Volumes of structures implicated in HIV− associated neuropathology and emotion recognition were measured on MRI using an automated segmentation tool. Relative to HC, HIV+ patients demonstrated emotion recognition impairments for fearful expressions, reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volumes, and increased amygdala volumes. In the HIV+ group, fear recognition impairments correlated significantly with ACC, but not amygdala volumes. ACC reductions were also associated with lower nadir CD4 levels (i.e., greater HIV-disease severity). These findings extend our understanding of the neurobiological substrates underlying an essential social function, facial emotion recognition, in HIV+ individuals and implicate HIV-related ACC atrophy in the impairment of these abilities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facial emotion recognition impairments are associated with brain volume abnormalities in individuals with HIV

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Together with the seeding area of the amygdala, these regions serve as prominent nodes in the "social context network" (SCN) in supporting individual's emotional awareness and social interaction (Adolphs, 2002;Amoruso et al, 2011;Gu et al, 2013). Specifically, the fusiform area percepts socially and emotionally relevant visual stimuli such as facial expressions (Haxby et al, 2002), the amygdala recognizes these signals (Baxter and Croxson, 2012), and the anterior insular integrates this information to generate current emotional awareness as well as to provide descending signals for autonomic reflexes (Gu et al, 2013). Given the trait characteristics of internalizing (e.g., social withdrawal) and externalizing (e.g., delinquency) problems reported in children with PCE (Greenwald et al, 2011;Lambert and Bauer, 2012;Minnes et al, 2010), as well as the elevated FCs in the SCN of individuals with social anxiety disorder (Frick et al, 2013), the presently noted FC increases in the SCN of the PCE group may indicate more risks for behavioral dysregulation in adolescent development for the exposed teens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal changes of amygdala functional connectivity in adolescents prenatally exposed to cocaine

Lei

Coles

et al. 2019

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is associated with arousal dysregulation, but interactions between exposure and age are rarely investigated directly with longitudinal study designs. Our previous study had examined task-elicited emotional arousal and noted persistently high amygdala activations in the development of adolescents with PCE. However, while externally imposed emotional arousal could be considered a "state" effect depending on specific task stimuli, it is still unclear whether similar developmental alterations extend to intrinsic functional connectivity (FC), reflecting more of a "trait" effect. Methods: We used a longitudinal design and analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired twice from 25 adolescents with PCE and 16 non-exposed controls. Both groups were each scanned first at the mean age of 14.3 and then again at 16.6 years. Seeding in bilateral amygdalae and comparing the 2 nd scan with the 1 st , we examined the interaction effect between PCE and age on FCs in the emotional network. Results: Compared with the younger age, we observed a generally decreased FC in the emotional network of the control group at the older age, but these FCs were generally increased at the older age in this same network of the PCE group. Additionally, this interaction effect of exposure by age in the right fusiform was positively correlated with the emotional interference imposed by external task stimuli.

show abstract

“…Moreover, it is possible that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling (the transcription/post-translational modifications of GABA A receptor subunit/regulation of the transmembrane chloride gradient) may be influenced by the loss of ERβ in ERβKO female mice with anxiety-like behavior, causing functional changes ( 53 , 107 ). This would suggest that ERβ may play a crucial role in the manifestation of anxiety-like behavior in female mice by affecting the GABA A receptor ( 107 ).…”

Section: Molecular Mechanisms Of Sex Steroid Hormones Action Implicat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The AMY plays an important role in processing fearful and threatening stimuli, regulation of emotional responsiveness, facial perception (50), as well as emotional learning and memory for example in reaction to stressful or fear stimuli (51)(52)(53). Due to its functions, the AMY is associated with anxiety disorders in animals (54) and humans (51).…”

Section: Brain Regions Involved In Anxiety Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mood disorders that can lead to impaired quality of life. Current treatment of anxiety disorders has various adverse effects, safety concerns, or restricted efficacy; therefore, novel therapeutic targets need to be studied. Sex steroid hormones (SSHs) play a crucial role in the formation of brain structures, including regions of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex during perinatal development. In the brain, SSHs have activational and organizational effects mediated by either intracellular or transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors. During perinatal developmental periods, the physiological concentrations of SSHs lead to the normal development of the brain; however, the early hormonal dysregulation could result in various anxiety diorders later in life. Sex differences in the prevalence of anxiety disorders suggest that SSHs might be implicated in their development. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical studies regarding the role of dysregulated SSHs signaling during early brain development that modifies the risk for anxiety disorders in a sex-specific manner in adulthood. Moreover, our aim is to summarize potential molecular mechanisms by which the SSHs may affect anxiety disorders in preclinical research. Finally, the potential effects of SSHs in the treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed.

show abstract

Facing the role of the amygdala in emotional information processing

Cited by 39 publications

References 18 publications

Facial emotion recognition impairments are associated with brain volume abnormalities in individuals with HIV

Facial emotion recognition impairments are associated with brain volume abnormalities in individuals with HIV

Longitudinal changes of amygdala functional connectivity in adolescents prenatally exposed to cocaine

Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About