Separable and overlapping functional connectome architecture for impulsivity and anxiety
Poster No:
713
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
E-Young Chung1,2, M. Justin Kim1,2
Institutions:
1Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 03063, Korea, Republic of, 2Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon 16419, Korea, Republic of
First Author:
E-Young Jung
Sungkyunkwan University|Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science
Seoul 03063, Korea, Republic of|Suwon 16419, Korea, Republic of
Sungkyunkwan University|Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science
Seoul 03063, Korea, Republic of|Suwon 16419, Korea, Republic of
Co-Author:
M. Justin Kim, Ph.D.
Sungkyunkwan University|Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science
Seoul 03063, Korea, Republic of|Suwon 16419, Korea, Republic of
Sungkyunkwan University|Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science
Seoul 03063, Korea, Republic of|Suwon 16419, Korea, Republic of
Introduction:
The connection between impulsivity and anxiety remains elusive, with some studies suggesting independence, while others propose a negative association between the two psychological traits. While impulsivity is characterized by exhibiting rapid and unplanned reactions to stimuli and acting without forethought, anxiety is characterized by hyper-control, excessive anxious apprehension about potential outcomes, seemingly incongruent with one another. However, there exists a subset of individuals exhibiting both traits, suggesting a complex interplay between impulsivity and anxiety. This study aims to explore whole brain functional connectivity differences underlying impulsivity and anxiety, and to investigate whether individuals who possess both high impulsivity and anxiety might exhibit specific functional network patterns. Identifying such patterns could help elucidate the nature of the association between impulsivity and anxiety and shed further light on the unique characteristics of their shared state.
Methods:
A total of 162 functional connectomes were built using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the Leipzig Study for Mind-Body Emotion Interactions dataset. We classified the "High Impulsivity (HI)" group (i.e., within the top 55% for impulsivity & outside the top 55% for anxiety) and the "High Anxiety (HA)" group (i.e., within the top 55% for trait anxiety & outside the top 55% for impulsivity) based on self-reported measures of each trait. Among these participants, those who had both high impulsivity and anxiety scores (i.e., within the top 55% for both measures) were categorized as the "High Impulsivity & High Anxiety (HIHA)" group. Then, to define 'impulsivity > anxiety' and 'anxiety > impulsivity' networks, we conducted two-sample t-tests with leave-one-out cross validation performed on each edge within the functional connectome between the HI group and HA group. Additionally, to identify HIHA specific networks by comparing them with the HI and HA groups, a one-way ANOVA was conducted for each edge in the functional connectomes to explore network differences between three groups (HI/HA/HIHA) with a significance threshold of P < 0.01. Additionally, to validate the 'shared-specific' network, two-sample t-tests were conducted within these networks to compare the HIHA group with the HI and HA groups.
Results:
Two-sample t-tests yielded statistically significant differences in the overall strength of 'impulsivity > anxiety' and 'anxiety > impulsivity' networks (t(116) = 6.494, p < 0.001). Specifically, the HI group exhibited heightened functional connectivity in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, both of which are associated with motor control. Conversely, the HA group displayed increased functional connectivity between the frontoparietal network (FP) and the default mode network (DMN), and the FP and the medial frontal network (MF), both of which are known to be involved in emotion dysregulation. On the other hand, the HIHA group showed significantly decreased the FP-cerebellar network strength compared to the HI group (t(85) = -4.410, p < 0.001) as well as the HA group (t(84) = -4.778, p < 0.001). No differences in the strength of this shared network were observed between the HI and HA groups (p = 0.584). The HIHA group demonstrated the weakest functional network strength in the FP-cerebellar network, suggesting that insufficient regulation of the FP may have contributed to the inability to control both impulsive and anxious traits.
·Distinctive ‘impulsivity > anxiety’ and ‘anxiety > impulsivity’ brain networks.
·Specific ‘shared < impulsivity/anxiety’ brain networks.
Conclusions:
Individuals characterized by either only high impulsivity or high anxiety demonstrated distinct functional networks. Furthermore, we found that individuals who possess both traits exhibit unique functional connectivity patterns of their own, providing preliminary evidence for a neural characteristic of those who are able to conduct impulsive decision-making behavior in the presence of high anxiety.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Emotion and Motivation Other 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling 2
Keywords:
Anxiety
FUNCTIONAL MRI
NORMAL HUMAN
Other - Impulsivity
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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