FMRI STUDIES OF AMYGDALA RESPONSE TO FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

迄今为止，人类神经影像学研究提供了重要的见解杏仁核功能使用面部表情的情绪作为呈现的刺激。我们的目标是通过集中精力于数据收集策略来增强这些初步研究，这些策略将提供有关我们个体受试者的信息。具体来说，我们将使用功能性磁共振成像（fHRI）来测试这一假设，即模糊效价面部表情的主观评级可以用来预测杏仁核对这些表情以及更明显的负面表情的反应（例如，恐惧的面孔）。除了杏仁核反应性，我们还将收集其他措施，旨在更全面地定义积极与消极评价面部表情的受试者的心理概况。此外，我们将评估我们的措施，通过评估杏仁核功能磁共振成像反应和效价评级在三个不同的时间点（受试者内）的可靠性。最后，该项目最终与埃塞克斯项目V的合作，在评估杏仁核信号，因为它涉及到我们的效价评级任务，在一组72个特征良好的青少年受试者不同的风险内化的问题，从而为精神病理学。平行的离线行为研究， 决定了我们任务的普遍性。这些离线研究将是关键的，在确定这一任务的适用性，为未来的实地研究。这项研究建立在我们实验室和其他实验室的工作基础上，这些工作表明，涉及面部表情呈现的功能磁共振成像任务可以提供有关杏仁核正常功能及其在精神病理学中的异常的有用信息。这些研究将提供急需的数据，涉及a）这些反应的个体受试者差异B）这些数据对青少年的普遍性和c）这些测量与其他与精神病理学易感性相关的测量的关系。

To date, human neuroimaging studies have offered important insights into amygdala function using facial expressions of emotion as presented stimuli. Our aim is to augment these initial studies by concentrating our efforts on data collection strategies that will provide information about our individual subjects. Specifically, we will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fHRI) to test the hypothesis that subjective ratings of ambiguously-valenced facial expressions can be used to predict amygdala response to these expressions as well as to more clearly negative faces (e.g., fearful faces). In addition to amygdala responsivity, we will collect additional measures aimed at more comprehensively defining the psychological profile of subjects who rate facial expressions positively vs. negatively. In addition, we will assess the reliability of our measures by assessing both amygdala fMRI response and valence ratings at three separate time points (within-subject). Finally, the project culminates with a collaboration with the Essex Project V in assessing amygdala signal as it relates to our valence rating task, in a group of 72 well characterized adolescent subjects with varying risk for internalizing problems, and thus dsk for psychopathology. Parallel offline behavioral studies that will determine the generalizability of our task. These offline studies will be cdtical in determining the applicability of this task for future field studies. The proposed studies build upon the work of our laboratory and that of others demonstrating that fMRI tasks involving the presentation of facial expressions can provide useful information about normal amygdala function and its aberrance in psychopathology. These studies will provide much needed data concerning a) individual subject differences in these responses b) the generalizability of these data to adolescents and c) the relationship of these measures with others related to vulnerability to psychopathology.