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

IF 2.4 3区医学 Q2 PSYCHIATRY

International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research Pub Date : 2022-11-29 DOI:10.1002/mpr.1955

Rotem Saar-Ashkenazy, Jonathan Guez, Yael Jacob, Ronel Veksler, Jonathan E. Cohen, Ilan Shelef, Alon Friedman, Mony Benifla

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Abstract

Objectives

Traumatic 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.

Methods

Twenty 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.

Results

Significant 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.

Conclusion

We 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.

Abstract Image

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白质与焦虑相关:胼胝体对焦虑和压力相关疾病研究的贡献。

目的:创伤性应激与大脑改变和焦虑障碍发展的风险增加有关。在创伤后患者中进行的研究表明，胼胝体中的白质体积和扩散发生了改变。认知能力下降已被证明在急性应激障碍和创伤后患者。然而，认知改变是由与压力相关的神经病理学引起的，还是反映了一种易感性，目前尚不清楚。在目前的研究中，我们在健康对照中检查了焦虑的个体差异是否与压力相关病理中报告的认知和大脑改变有关。方法:采用状态-特质量表(STAI)对20名健康志愿者进行焦虑评估，并对其进行记忆测试。脑成像提取胼胝体的体积和扩散特征。结果:特质焦虑与所有三个扩散参数(分数各向异性、平均扩散率和径向扩散率)均存在显著相关。联想记忆表现与胼胝体体积也显著相关。结论:我们认为认知和大脑的改变，正如在目前的工作中所测试的和在压力相关病理中报道的那样，很早就出现，并且可能持续一生。我们的研究结果支持了一种假设，即特质焦虑的个体差异使个体容易产生消极的认知结果和大脑改变，并可能导致压力相关疾病。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

6.50%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research (MPR) publishes high-standard original research of a technical, methodological, experimental and clinical nature, contributing to the theory, methodology, practice and evaluation of mental and behavioural disorders. The journal targets in particular detailed methodological and design papers from major national and international multicentre studies. There is a close working relationship with the US National Institute of Mental Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Diagnostic Instruments Committees, as well as several other European and international organisations. MPR aims to publish rapidly articles of highest methodological quality in such areas as epidemiology, biostatistics, generics, psychopharmacology, psychology and the neurosciences. Articles informing about innovative and critical methodological, statistical and clinical issues, including nosology, can be submitted as regular papers and brief reports. Reviews are only occasionally accepted. MPR seeks to monitor, discuss, influence and improve the standards of mental health and behavioral neuroscience research by providing a platform for rapid publication of outstanding contributions. As a quarterly journal MPR is a major source of information and ideas and is an important medium for students, clinicians and researchers in psychiatry, clinical psychology, epidemiology and the allied disciplines in the mental health field.