Neural Structural and Functional Correlates of Perceived Stress in Typical Developing Brain
Stand-By Time
Monday, June 26, 2017: 12:45 PM - 2:45 PMSubmission No:
1988
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
On Display:
Monday, June 26 & Tuesday, June 27
Authors:
Jingsong Wu1, Xiujuan Geng2,3,4, Nichol Wong2, Jing Tao1, Lidian Chen5, Tatia Lee2,3,4
Institutions:
1Rehabilitation Medicine College, Fujian university of traditional chinese medicine, Fuzhou, China, 2Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 3Laboratory of Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 4State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 5Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
First Author:
Jingsong Wu
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Rehabilitation Medicine College, Fujian university of traditional chinese medicine
Fuzhou, China
Rehabilitation Medicine College, Fujian university of traditional chinese medicine
Fuzhou, China
Introduction:
Studies of the neurobiological basis of stress indicate that timing matters: the effects of stress on brain depend on the time window of exposure to stressful events (Lupien et al, 2009). Adolescence is a period that is more vulnerable and sensitive to stress compared to adulthood and is associated with a rise in stress-related psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression (Dahl 2004; Romeo and McEwen, 2006; Foilb et al, 2011). Meanwhile human brain undergoes a substantial structural and functional remodeling during the adolescent period, especially for the limbic and prefrontal cortical regions that are involved in emotion processing (Yurgelun-Todd et al, 2007; Giedd et al, 2010). However, the trajectories of brain and stress associations are not well understood from adolescence to adulthood. We examined how the neural structural and functional systems, including the connectivity and causal interactions between regions of interest, are affected by perceived stress during this typical developmental period.
Methods:
Seventy-six healthy participants (37 females, 14–45 years) were included in the study and divided into three age groups: adolescence (n=24; 11 females; age range=14.90-17.93 years), young adults (n=26; 13 females; age range=18.46-24.94 years) and adults (n=26; 13 females; age range=30.02-45.39 years). Sex, IQ, and perceived stress scores (PSS) were well controlled under each group and between groups. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis across the whole brain was conducted to calculate the grey matter volume using VBM8. The resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) maps with bilateral amygdala as seeds were computed using CONN and SPM12. Two sets of second level general linear model analyses, v/rsFC= Age+Sex+ IQ+PSS+Age*PSS, were conducted to identify regions showing age by stress interactions on volume, and to identify circuits showing age by stress interactions on rsFC. Spectral dynamic causal modeling analysis (sDCM) was performed to further investigate the causal connectivity between amygdala and the region(s) showing age by stress interactions.
Results:
A cluster peaked at left amygdala and extending to putamen and posterior part of insula showed differential stress effects on volume estimated by VBM across ages from adolescence to adulthood (Fig.1). Post-hoc analyses indicated that the amygdala volume was positively correlated with PSS in adolescence, whereas negatively correlated with PSS in young adults. No correlations were found in adults. This distinct correlation patterns may be partially due to the continuing maturation to adolescence and the synaptic pruning of amygdala starting from 18 years (Uematsu et al., 2012).
The analyses on the rsFC maps revealed a circuitry between the right amygdala and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) showing a significant stress by age interaction (Fig.2). The connectivity strength in amygdala-vmPFC was positively correlated with PSS with the directionality from amygdala to vmPFC in the adolescence, and negatively correlated with perceived stress in young adults and adults with a causal interaction from vmPFC to amygdala in young adults. The less matured vmPFC compared to amygdala may contribute to strengthened responses of the amygdala and sending stronger connections to prefrontal regions after stress in adolescence (Tottenham and Galvan 2016); whereas the maturing top-down control under stress is weakened by higher stress level in young adults (Gee et al, 2013).
The analyses on the rsFC maps revealed a circuitry between the right amygdala and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) showing a significant stress by age interaction (Fig.2). The connectivity strength in amygdala-vmPFC was positively correlated with PSS with the directionality from amygdala to vmPFC in the adolescence, and negatively correlated with perceived stress in young adults and adults with a causal interaction from vmPFC to amygdala in young adults. The less matured vmPFC compared to amygdala may contribute to strengthened responses of the amygdala and sending stronger connections to prefrontal regions after stress in adolescence (Tottenham and Galvan 2016); whereas the maturing top-down control under stress is weakened by higher stress level in young adults (Gee et al, 2013).
Conclusions:
In summary, our findings show that in healthy individuals, neuronal structural and functional correlates on perceived stress have distinct patterns during the developing period from adolescence to adulthood, indicating the higher degree of stress-induced plasticity of the brain regions undergoing maturation. Knowledge of this would help to explain the neuroplasticity and stress interaction, risk factors to stress disorders during adolescence.
Imaging Methods:
Anatomical MRI
BOLD fMRI
Lifespan Development:
Lifespan Development Other 2
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling
Neuroanatomy:
Anatomy and Functional Systems 1
Keywords:
Development
Limbic Systems
STRUCTURAL MRI
Other - Perceived stress, resting-state functional connectivity, dynamic causal modeling
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Dahl, R. E. (2004). "Adolescent brain development: a period of vulnerabilities and opportunities. Keynote address." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1021 (1): 1-22.
Foilb, A. R. and P. Lui, et al. (2011). "The transformation of hormonal stress responses throughout puberty and adolescence." Journal of Endocrinology 210 (3): 391-398.
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Giedd, J. N. and J. L. Rapoport (2010). "Structural MRI of pediatric brain development: what have we learned and where are we going?" Neuron 67 (5): 728-734.
Lupien, S. J. and B. S. McEwen, et al. (2009). "Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10 (6): 434-445.
Romeo, R. D. and B. S. McEWEN (2006). "Stress and the adolescent brain." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1094 (1): 202-214.
Tottenham, N. and A. Galván (2016). "Stress and the adolescent brain: Amygdala-prefrontal cortex circuitry and ventral striatum as developmental targets." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 70: 217-227.
Uematsu, A. and M. Matsui, et al. (2012). "Developmental trajectories of amygdala and hippocampus from infancy to early adulthood in healthy individuals." PloS one 7 (10): e46970.
Yurgelun-Todd, D. (2007). "Emotional and cognitive changes during adolescence." Current opinion in neurobiology 17 (2): 251-257.