Are Plasma Oxytocin and Vasopressin Levels Reflective of Amygdala Activation during the Processing of Negative Emotions? A Preliminary Study.
Are Plasma Oxytocin and Vasopressin Levels Reflective of Amygdala Activation during the Processing of Negative Emotions? A Preliminary Study.
复制标题
血浆催产素和加压素水平是否反映了负面情绪处理过程中杏仁核的激活？一项初步研究。
DOI：
10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00480
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发表时间：
2016
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Kawashima R
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Motoki K;Sugiura M;Takeuchi H;Kotozaki Y;Nakagawa S;Yokoyama R;Kawashima R
血浆催产素（OT）和精氨酸加压素（AVP）与情绪反应和行为的个体差异有关。杏仁核被认为是调节情绪行为的重要脑区，在负面情绪的处理过程中，杏仁核中的OT和AVP调节活动。特别是，当处理负面情绪时，增加的OT水平可能会减少杏仁核的激活（抗焦虑作用），增强的AVP水平可能会增加杏仁核的激活（抗焦虑作用）。越来越多的研究表明，OT和AVP的作用受性别调节：上述OT的抗焦虑作用和AVP的致焦虑作用发生在男性身上，但不发生在女性身上。然而，我们对OT和AVP血浆水平或其各自的致焦虑和抗焦虑作用的生物学机制知之甚少;同样，对这些神经肽及其对情绪处理的影响相关的性别差异的原因和性质知之甚少。在目前的研究中，我们专注于与这种效应背后的生物学机制相关的神经功能。我们假设杏仁核激活与特质血浆OT（抗焦虑作用）和AVP（致焦虑作用）水平相关，因为杏仁核被认为会影响情感体验后这些神经肽的协调释放。我们进一步假设，这种影响会受到性别的调节。我们评估了51名参与者（男性和女性）使用的范式，涉及负面情绪结合功能性磁共振成像和测量血浆OT和AVP水平。我们确定，男性血浆AVP水平升高与杏仁核激活（致焦虑作用）呈正相关，而女性则不然。这些发现突出了男性血浆AVP水平的潜在神经机制。
Plasma oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are associated with individual differences in emotional responses and behaviors. The amygdala is considered to be an important brain region for regulating emotion-based behavior, with OT and AVP modulating activity in the amygdala during the processing of negative emotions. In particular, increased OT levels may diminish amygdala activation (anxiolytic effects) and enhanced AVP levels may augment amygdala activation (anxiogenic effects) when negative emotions are processed. A growing body of research has shown that the effects of OT and AVP are modulated by sex: the aforementioned anxiolytic effects of OT and the anxiogenic effects of AVP occur in men, but not in women. However, we have little knowledge regarding the biological mechanisms underlying OT and AVP plasma levels or their respective anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects; similarly, little is known about the causes and nature of sex differences related to these neuropeptides and their effects on emotional processing. In the current study, we focused on the neural functions associated with the biological mechanisms underlying such effects. We hypothesized that amygdala activation would correlate with trait plasma OT (anxiolytic effects) and AVP (anxiogenic effects) levels because the amygdala is thought to affect the coordinated release of these neuropeptides following affective experiences. We further hypothesized that the effects would be modulated by sex. We assessed 51 participants (male and female) using a paradigm involving negative emotion in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging and measurements of plasma OT and AVP levels. We determined that increased plasma AVP levels were positively associated with amygdala activation (anxiogenic effects) in men, but not in women. These findings highlight the potential underlying neural mechanisms of plasma AVP levels in men.