Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Depress Anxiety. 2021 May;38(5):488-497. doi: 10.1002/da.23142. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
Rumination and worry are repetitive negative thinking (RNT) tendencies that contribute to the development and maintenance of internalizing psychopathologies. Accruing data suggest rumination and worry represent overlapping and unique transdiagnostic cognitive processes. Yet, prior neuroimaging research has mostly focused on rumination in depression, which points to involvement of resting-state brain activity in default mode, executive, salience, and/or affective networks.
The current study examined relations between brain activity during rest and RNT in a transdiagnostic sample. Resting-state fMRI data was analyzed in 80 unmedicated patients with internalizing conditions. Regression analysis, controlling for anxiety and depression symptoms, was performed with seed regions implicated in default mode, executive, salience, and affective networks. Rumination and worry were assessed with standard self-report measures.
Whole-brain regression results showed more rumination and worry jointly corresponded with greater positive resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the amygdala and prefrontal regions (i.e., middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus). Conversely, more worry (controlling for rumination) corresponded with greater negative rsFC between amygdala and precuneus. No significant results were observed for rumination alone (controlling for worry).
Findings indicate the affective network plays a role in RNT, and distinct patterns of connectivity between amygdala and regions implicated in the executive and default mode networks were observed across patients with internalizing conditions. Results suggest different mechanisms contribute to RNT as a unitary construct and worry as a unique construct.
反刍和担忧是重复的消极思维（RNT）倾向，有助于内化精神病理学的发展和维持。越来越多的数据表明，反刍和担忧代表重叠和独特的跨诊断认知过程。然而，先前的神经影像学研究主要集中在抑郁症中的反刍，这表明静息态大脑活动与默认模式、执行、突显和/或情感网络有关。
本研究在一个跨诊断样本中检查了静息状态大脑活动与 RNT 之间的关系。对 80 名未接受药物治疗的有内化症状的患者进行了静息态 fMRI 数据分析。在控制焦虑和抑郁症状的情况下，使用与默认模式、执行、突显和情感网络有关的种子区域进行回归分析。使用标准的自我报告量表评估反刍和担忧。
全脑回归结果表明，更多的反刍和担忧共同对应于杏仁核和前额叶区域（即中额回、下额回）之间更大的正静息态功能连接（rsFC）。相反，更多的担忧（控制反刍）对应于杏仁核和楔前叶之间更大的负 rsFC。单独的反刍（控制担忧）没有观察到显著的结果。
研究结果表明，情感网络在 RNT 中起作用，在有内化症状的患者中，杏仁核和涉及执行和默认模式网络的区域之间存在不同的连接模式。研究结果表明，作为一个整体的 RNT 和作为一个独特的担忧有不同的机制。
