White‐matter correlates of anxiety: The contribution of the corpus‐callosum to the study of anxiety and stress‐related disorders

Abstract

ObjectivesTraumatic stress has been associated with increased risk for brain alterations and development of anxiety disorders. Studies conducted in posttraumatic patients have shown white‐mater volume and diffusion alterations in the corpus‐callosum. Decreased cognitive performance has been demonstrated in acute stress disorder and posttraumatic patients. However, whether cognitive alterations result from stress related neuropathology or reflect a predisposition is not known. In the current study, we examined in healthy controls, whether individual differences in anxiety are associated with those cognitive and brain alterations reported in stress related pathologies.MethodsTwenty healthy volunteers were evaluated for anxiety using the state‐trait inventory (STAI), and were tested for memory performance. Brain imaging was employed to extract volumetric and diffusion characteristics of the corpus‐callosum.ResultsSignificant correlations were found between trait anxiety and all three diffusion parameters (fractional‐anisotropy, mean and radial‐diffusivity). Associative‐memory performance and corpus‐callosum volume were also significantly correlated.ConclusionWe suggest that cognitive and brain alterations, as tested in the current work and reported in stress related pathologies, are present early and possibly persist throughout life. Our findings support the hypothesis that individual differences in trait anxiety predispose individuals towards negative cognitive outcomes and brain alterations, and potentially to stress related disorders.

The Genetic Architecture of the Human Corpus Callosum and its Subregions

“…Abnormalities of the corpus callosum have also been heavily implicated in several neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, visual impairments and epilepsy 9,56,[134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141] . We used LDSC to determine the global genetic correlation between area and thickness of the total and parcellated regions of the corpus callosum, and 15 neuropsychiatric traits.…”