Amygdala reactivity and ventromedial prefrontal cortex coupling in the processing of emotional face stimuli in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Impaired emotion recognition is common in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and may, via deficient emotion self-regulation, relate to the frequently co-occurring affective and social problems. The present study used an emotional face-matching task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate neural responses during the processing of angry and fearful faces and visuo-spatial control stimuli. Additionally, measures for emotion dysregulation, ADHD type, and age were investigated in relation to the behavioral and neural fMRI data. We utilized a sample of 61 adolescents/young adults with ADHD and 51 age-matched healthy controls (age range: 12-28 years). Participants with ADHD had higher emotion dysregulation scores than controls. They also reacted slower and less accurate in response to emotional but not visuo-spatial control stimuli. Neural response differences between emotional and visuo-spatial trials were significantly smaller in cases, particularly in the left amygdala. While coupling between the right amygdala and bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex was stronger for emotional than visuo-spatial stimuli in control subjects, levels of positive coupling between the trial types did not significantly differ in participants with ADHD. Neither emotion dysregulation scores, nor ADHD type or age were related to the behavioral and neural processing alterations during the emotional face-matching task. Results indicate that emotion recognition deficits in ADHD are particularly associated with lower amygdala activation to emotional stimuli and alterations in the functional connections of the amygdala to medial prefrontal areas. Emotion recognition deficits and associated neural alterations were unrelated to emotion dysregulation, ADHD type, or age.

Emotion dysregulation and integration of emotion-related brain networks affect intraindividual change in ADHD severity throughout late adolescence.

The course of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from adolescence into adulthood shows large variations between individuals; nonetheless determinants of interindividual differences in the course are not well understood. A frequent problem in ADHD, associated with worse outcomes, is emotion dysregulation. We investigated whether emotion dysregulation and integration of emotion-related functional brain networks affect interindividual differences in ADHD severity change. ADHD severity and resting state neuroimaging data were measured in ADHD and unaffected individuals at two points during adolescence and young adulthood. Bivariate latent change score models were applied to investigate whether emotion dysregulation and network integration affect ADHD severity changes. Emotion dysregulation was gauged from questionnaire subscales for conduct problems, emotional problems and emotional lability. Better emotion regulation was associated with a better course of ADHD (104 participants, 44 females, age range: 12-27). Using graph analysis, we determined network integration of emotion-related functional brain networks. Network integration was measured by nodal efficiency, i.e., the average inverse path distance from one node to all other nodes. A pattern of low nodal efficiency of cortical regions associated with emotion processing and high nodal efficiency in subcortical areas and cortical areas involved in implicit emotion regulation predicted a better ADHD course. Larger nodal efficiency of the right orbitofrontal cortex was related to a better course of ADHD (99 participants, 42 females, age range: 10-29). We demonstrated that neural and behavioral covariates associated with emotion regulation affect the course of ADHD severity throughout adolescence and early adulthood beyond baseline effects of ADHD severity.

Natural History of Visual Acuity and Microperimetry-Based Functional Outcome Measures of the Macula in Patients with Geographic Atrophy: A Retrospective Chart Review Study in Germany.

Background/Objectives: Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leading to the progressive and irreversible loss of visual function. Characteristics of GA include atrophic lesions resulting from the loss of photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium, and choriocapillaris. During GA progression, atrophic lesions typically advance from the macular periphery to the center, affecting foveal light sensitivity and visual acuity. This study analyzed changes in light sensitivity and visual acuity during the natural course of GA progression using the topographic analysis of structural and functional changes based on Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts, multimodal imaging, and microperimetry assessment. Methods: Medical chart data of GA patients between 2014 and 2022 from the Internationale Innovative Ophthalmochirurgie GbR (I.I.O.) research center (Düsseldorf, Germany) were retrospectively analyzed. All patient eyes fulfilling the phase 3 OAKS study inclusion criteria were included and followed up for 60 months. The imputation of missing measurements and dropouts was performed by linear mixed models. Results: A total of 20 GA eyes from 13 GA patients were included in the study. At the index, 53.8% of patients had bilateral GA, with 70.0% of the eyes showing multifocal GA and 30.0% subfoveal encroachment (SFE). A total of 35.0% of the eyes had 2-5, and 15.0% over 20, areas of atrophy. Over time, the GA lesion size increased from 6.4 mm2 to 11.8 mm2 (1.08 mm2/year). After an average observation time of 2.9 years, 78.6% of the initially unaffected study eyes developed SFE. The percentage of study eyes without visual impairment decreased from 55.0% to 30.0%, with mean normal-luminance best-corrected visual acuity (NL-BCVA) reducing from 63.7 to 55.7 ETDRS letters. The share of absolute scotoma points in microperimetry assessment increased from 15.7% to 43.5% while overall average macular sensitivity declined from 15.7 dB to 7.4 dB. Conclusions: The substantial deterioration of macular outcomes and visual function was comprehensively detected. The results were a documentation of structural and functional aspects of the natural progression of GA for a 60-month follow-up, providing a typical outline for AMD patients with GA.

Functional network topology of the right insula affects emotion dysregulation in hyperactive-impulsive attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Emotion dysregulation is common in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is highly prevalent in young adult ADHD and related to reduced well-being and social impairments. Neuroimaging studies reported neural activity changes in ADHD in brain regions associated with emotion processing and regulation. It is however unknown whether deficits in emotion regulation relate to changes in functional brain network topology in these regions. We used a combination of graph analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyze resting-state functional connectivity in 147 well-characterized young adults with ADHD and age-matched healthy controls from the NeuroIMAGE database. Emotion dysregulation was gauged with four scales obtained from questionnaires and operationalized through a latent variable derived from SEM. Graph analysis was applied to resting-state data and network topology measures were entered into SEM models to identify brain regions whose local network integration and connectedness differed between subjects and was associated with emotion dysregulation. The latent variable of emotion dysregulation was characterized by scales gauging emotional distress, emotional symptoms, conduct symptoms, and emotional lability. In individuals with ADHD characterized by prominent hyperactivity-impulsivity, the latent emotion dysregulation variable was related to an increased clustering and local efficiency of the right insula. Thus, in the presence of hyperactivity-impulsivity, clustered network formation of the right insula may underpin emotion dysregulation in young adult ADHD.