Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Mol Psychiatry. 2012 Feb;17(2):132-41. doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.88. Epub 2011 Jul 26.
In recent years, an increasing number of neuroimaging studies have sought to identify the brain anomalies associated with mood and anxiety disorders. The results of such studies could have significant implications for the development of novel treatments for these disorders. A challenge currently facing the field is to assimilate the large and growing corpus of imaging data to inform a systems-level model of the neural circuitry underlying the disorders. One prominent theoretical perspective highlights the top-down inhibition of amygdala by ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) as a crucial neural mechanism that may be defective in certain mood and anxiety disorders, such as major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In this article, we provide a critical review of animal and human data related to this model. In particular, we emphasize the considerable body of research that challenges the veracity (or at least completeness) of the predominant model. We propose a framework for constructing a more comprehensive model of vmPFC function, with the goal of fostering further progress in understanding the neuropathophysiological basis of mood and anxiety disorders.
近年来，越来越多的神经影像学研究试图确定与情绪和焦虑障碍相关的大脑异常。这些研究的结果可能对这些障碍的新治疗方法的发展具有重要意义。目前该领域面临的一个挑战是整合大量不断增长的成像数据，以告知潜在神经回路的系统级模型。一个突出的理论观点强调了腹内侧前额叶皮层（vmPFC）对杏仁核的自上而下抑制作为一种关键的神经机制，在某些情绪和焦虑障碍中可能存在缺陷，例如重度抑郁症和创伤后应激障碍。在本文中，我们对与该模型相关的动物和人类数据进行了批判性评估。特别是，我们强调了大量研究对主要模型的真实性（或至少完整性）提出了挑战。我们提出了一个构建 vmPFC 功能更全面模型的框架，目标是促进进一步理解情绪和焦虑障碍的神经病理生理学基础。
