IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome, Italy.
Division of Neuropsychiatry, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 9;12(1):13571. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17722-x.
Brain structural bases of individual differences in attachment are not yet fully clarified. Given the evidence of relevant cerebellar contribution to cognitive, affective, and social functions, the present research was aimed at investigating potential associations between attachment dimensions (through the Attachment Style Questionnaire, ASQ) and cerebellar macro- and micro-structural measures (Volumetric and Diffusion Tensor Imaging data). In a sample of 79 healthy subjects, cerebellar and neocortical volumetric data were correlated with ASQ scores at the voxel level within specific Regions Of Interest. Also, correlations between ASQ scores and age, years of education, anxiety and depression levels were performed to control for the effects of sociodemographic and psychological variables on neuroimaging results. Positive associations between scores of the Preoccupation with Relationships (ASQ subscale associated to insecure/anxious attachment) and cortical volume were found in the cerebellum (right lobule VI and left Crus 2) and neocortex (right medial OrbitoFrontal Cortex, OFC) regions. Cerebellar contribution to the attachment behavioral system reflects the more general cerebellar engagement in the regulation of emotional and social behaviors. Cerebellar properties of timing, prediction, and learning well integrate with OFC processing, supporting the regulation of attachment experiences. Cerebellar areas might be rightfully included in the attachment behavioral system.
个体依恋差异的大脑结构基础尚不完全清楚。鉴于小脑对认知、情感和社会功能的相关贡献的证据，本研究旨在调查依恋维度（通过依恋风格问卷，ASQ）与小脑宏观和微观结构测量（体积和扩散张量成像数据）之间的潜在关联。在 79 名健康受试者的样本中，在特定感兴趣区域内的体素水平上，将小脑和新皮层体积数据与 ASQ 评分进行相关分析。还对 ASQ 评分与年龄、受教育年限、焦虑和抑郁水平之间的相关性进行了分析，以控制社会人口统计学和心理变量对神经影像学结果的影响。在小脑（右侧 VI 叶和左侧 Crus 2）和新皮层（右侧内侧眶额皮层，OFC）区域，与不安全/焦虑依恋相关的关系关注（ASQ 分量表）的分数与皮质体积之间存在正相关。小脑对依恋行为系统的贡献反映了小脑更普遍地参与调节情绪和社会行为。小脑的定时、预测和学习特性与 OFC 处理很好地整合在一起，支持了依恋体验的调节。小脑区域可能恰当地包含在依恋行为系统中。
