Albaugh Matthew D, Nguyen Tuong-Vi, Ducharme Simon, Collins D Louis, Botteron Kelly N, D'Alberto Nicholas, Evans Alan C, Karama Sherif, Hudziak James J
Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA.
McGill University Health Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McGill University Health Centre, Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Biol Psychol. 2017 Mar;124:133-140. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.02.002. Epub 2017 Feb 7.
To investigate the extent to which subclinical variation in anxious/depressed psychopathology is associated with volume and age-related volumetric change of limbic structures in a longitudinal sample of healthy youths.
Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging data (up to 3 data points per subject, collected at 2 year-intervals) in 371 typically developing youths, from 4 to 18 years of age (196 females; 723 MRIs). Volumetric measures were obtained using a validated segmentation method. The best-fit model (cubic, quadratic, or first-order linear) was determined for the effect of age on amygdalar and hippocampal volume (adjusted for total brain volume). Next, amygdalar and hippocampal volumes were regressed against Child Behavior Checklist Anxious/Depressed (A/D) scores. Age-by-A/D and sex-by-A/D interactions were tested.
Analyses revealed age-related linear and quadratic volumetric change in the amygdalae and hippocampi, respectively. A/D was positively associated with total amygdalar volume (p=0.045), independent of age and sex. Age-by-A/D and sex-by-A/D interactions were not associated with amygdalar or hippocampal volume.
Results suggest that amygdalar structure is tied to A/D among typically developing youths, independent of age and sex. Developmental trajectories of amygdalar and hippocampal volume were not associated with subclinical anxiety. Taken together, increased amygdalar volume may serve as a significant marker of anxiety, regardless of developmental phase.
在健康青少年的纵向样本中，研究焦虑/抑郁精神病理学的亚临床变化与边缘系统结构体积及年龄相关体积变化之间的关联程度。
采用线性混合效应模型分析371名4至18岁正常发育青少年（196名女性；723次磁共振成像）的纵向行为和神经影像数据（每位受试者最多3个数据点，间隔2年收集）。使用经过验证的分割方法获得体积测量值。确定年龄对杏仁核和海马体体积影响的最佳拟合模型（三次、二次或一阶线性）（根据全脑体积进行调整）。接下来，将杏仁核和海马体体积与儿童行为检查表焦虑/抑郁（A/D）得分进行回归分析。检验年龄×A/D和性别×A/D的交互作用。
分析显示，杏仁核和海马体分别存在与年龄相关的线性和二次体积变化。A/D与杏仁核总体积呈正相关（p = 0.045），独立于年龄和性别。年龄×A/D和性别×A/D的交互作用与杏仁核或海马体体积无关。
结果表明，在正常发育的青少年中，杏仁核结构与A/D相关，独立于年龄和性别。杏仁核和海马体体积的发育轨迹与亚临床焦虑无关。综上所述，无论处于发育阶段如何，杏仁核体积增加可能是焦虑的一个重要标志。
