Association between startle reactivity to uncertain threats and structural brain volume

Manzler, Charles A.; Radoman, Milena; Khorrami, Kia J.; Gorka, Stephanie M.

doi:10.1111/psyp.14074

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 119 publications

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“…The right AIC has been found to be engaged in bodily-arousing anxiety-related processing such as heartbeat awareness, sympathetic nervous system activities, and unpredictable aversiveness (183-186). Knowing that its volume has been negatively associated with reactivity to uncertain threat (187), thinner CT in past users could possibly be interpreted as deleterious. Most importantly, our overall findings support the reversibility of the impact of COCs on brain morphology, especially on vmPFC thickness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives

Brouillard,

Davignon,

Turcotte

et al. 2023

Front. Endocrinol.

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BackgroundEndogenous sex hormones and oral contraceptives (OCs) have been shown to influence key regions implicated in fear processing. While OC use has been found to impact brain morphology, methodological challenges remain to be addressed, such as avoiding selection bias between OC users and non-users, as well as examining potential lasting effects of OC intake.ObjectiveWe investigated the current and lasting effects of OC use, as well as the interplay between the current hormonal milieu and history of hormonal contraception use on structural correlates of the fear circuitry. We also examined the role of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones within this network.MethodsWe recruited healthy adults aged 23-35 who identified as women currently using (n = 62) or having used (n = 37) solely combined OCs, women who never used any hormonal contraceptives (n = 40), or men (n = 41). Salivary endogenous sex hormones and current users’ salivary ethinyl estradiol (EE) were assessed using liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we extracted surface-based gray matter volumes (GMVs) and cortical thickness (CT) for regions of interest of the fear circuitry. Exploratory whole-brain analyses were conducted with surface-based and voxel-based morphometry methods.ResultsCompared to men, all three groups of women exhibited a larger GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, while only current users showed a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Irrespective of the menstrual cycle phase, never users exhibited a thicker right anterior insular cortex than past users. While associations with endogenous sex hormones remain unclear, we showed that EE dosage in current users had a greater influence on brain anatomy compared to salivary EE levels and progestin androgenicity, with lower doses being associated with smaller cortical GMVs.DiscussionOur results highlight a sex difference for the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex GMV (a fear-promoting region), as well as a reduced CT of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a fear-inhibiting region) specific to current OC use. Precisely, this finding was driven by lower EE doses. These findings may represent structural vulnerabilities to anxiety and stress-related disorders. We showed little evidence of durable anatomical effects, suggesting that OC intake can (reversibly) affect fear-related brain morphology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives

Brouillard,

Davignon,

Turcotte

et al. 2023

Front. Endocrinol.

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Impact of behavioral inhibitory control and startle reactivity to uncertain threat on youth suicide risk

Bibb,

House,

Jenkins

et al. 2024

Psychophysiology

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Poor inhibitory control and exaggerated threat reactivity are two well‐established risk factors for suicide. Theory suggests that these two factors may interact to influence suicide risk, although few studies have directly tested these relationships. In the present study, we examined the unique and interactive effects of inhibitory control (IC) and threat reactivity on self‐reported suicide risk in a sample of 132 youth, ages 16–19. The stop signal task was used as a behavioral index of IC. Threat reactivity was captured using a modified version of the No‐Predictable–Unpredictable threat paradigm that includes threat of predictable (P‐) and unpredictable (U‐) mild electrical shock. Startle eyeblink potentiation was measured throughout the task as an index of aversive responding. All participants completed a battery of well‐validated self‐report measures including current suicide risk. Hierarchical linear regression analyses controlling for age and sex revealed no main effects of IC or threat reactivity. However, there was a significant IC by reactivity to uncertain threat (U‐threat) interaction. At lower levels of IC, greater startle reactivity to U‐threat was associated with greater suicide risk. At higher levels of IC, there was no association between reactivity to U‐threat and suicide risk. These results suggest that individual differences in IC and reactivity to U‐threat interact to influence suicide cognitions, shedding light on potential subgroups of individuals who might be at elevated risk.

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Association between startle reactivity to uncertain threats and structural brain volume

Cited by 2 publications

References 119 publications

Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives

Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives

Impact of behavioral inhibitory control and startle reactivity to uncertain threat on youth suicide risk

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