Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Periaqueductal Gray Area (PAG) in Association to Threat Bias in Anxiety Disorders

Material Information

Title:
Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Periaqueductal Gray Area (PAG) in Association to Threat Bias in Anxiety Disorders
Creator:
Kelsey Roberts
Sien Hu

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
PAG
Threat Bias

Notes

Abstract:
The periaqueductal grey area (PAG) is highly involved in processing pain and fear. This study evaluated the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the periaqueductal gray area (PAG) in healthy controls (HC) and patients with anxiety related disorders (PAD). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral data were obtained from the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) - Rockland Sample. Participants completed a 5-minute resting fMRI scan and a dot-probe task outside the scanner. The dot-probe task consisted of two emotional faces (happy, threatening, or neutral) appearing on a screen, one of which would be replaced by a dot that required a button press. Reaction time was computed as the difference in reaction time (RT) between the dot replacing the neutral faces and the threatening faces (i.e., RT in neutral – RT in threat). Positive threat bias reflects faster response for threatening faces that might indicate severe pain and anxiety. The rsFC of the whole brain connectivity showed no differences of PAG rsFC between both HC and PAD. Regression analysis showed a significant and negative correlation between the left PAG-putamen rsFC and Threat Bias in PAD but not in HC, suggesting a disruptive coupling between PAG and putamen in severe pain in anxiety disorders. The PAG-putamen connectivity might serve as an important neural indicator of anxiety disorders.
Acquisition:
Collected for SUNY Oswego Institutional Repository by the online self-submittal tool. Submitted by Kelsey Roberts.

Record Information

Source Institution:
SUNY Oswego Institutional Repository
Holding Location:
SUNY Oswego Institution
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.
Embargo Date:
9/13/2020