Extended-amygdala intrinsic functional connectivity networks: A population study.
Hum Brain Mapp
; 42(6): 1594-1616, 2021 04 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33314443
ABSTRACT
Pre-clinical and human neuroimaging research implicates the extended-amygdala (ExtA) (including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BST] and central nucleus of the amygdala [CeA]) in networks mediating negative emotional states associated with stress and substance-use behaviours. The extent to which individual ExtA structures form a functionally integrated unit is controversial. We utilised a large sample (n > 1,000 healthy young adult humans) to compare the intrinsic functional connectivity networks (ICNs) of the BST and CeA using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the Human Connectome Project. We assessed whether inter-individual differences within these ICNs were related to two principal components representing negative disposition and alcohol use. Building on recent primate evidence, we tested whether within BST-CeA intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) was heritable and further examined co-heritability with our principal components. We demonstrate the BST and CeA to have discrete, but largely overlapping ICNs similar to previous findings. We found no evidence that within BST-CeA iFC was heritable; however, post hoc analyses found significant BST iFC heritability with the broader superficial and centromedial amygdala regions. There were no significant correlations or co-heritability associations with our principal components either across the ICNs or for specific BST-Amygdala iFC. Possible differences in phenotype associations across task-free, task-based, and clinical fMRI are discussed, along with suggestions for more causal investigative paradigms that make use of the now well-established ExtA ICNs.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Septal Nuclei
/
Connectome
/
Central Amygdaloid Nucleus
/
Nerve Net
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Hum Brain Mapp
Journal subject:
CEREBRO
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United kingdom