Neural Substrates of Anticipation in Children at Risk for Anxiety

描述（由申请人提供）：社交焦虑症是一种常见的慢性衰弱性疾病，通常始于青春期，与发育风险因素相关，包括儿童期抑制性气质。以前的研究已经检查了社交焦虑症和成人抑制气质的神经基质，并发现杏仁核，终纹床核（BNST）和背侧前扣带皮层（dACC）中大脑激活的关键差异。大脑激活的这些差异可能代表社交焦虑障碍的神经风险因素。然而，关键是要确定这些风险因素是否存在于发展的早期，在发展社会性的高风险儿童中， 焦虑症（抑制性气质）。为了研究高危儿童神经回路的变化，我们将重点关注预期处理-社交焦虑障碍和抑制气质的关键心理过程。在社交活动之前，一个人可能会经历预期的担忧，伴随着生理唤醒，包括出汗，颤抖和心跳加速。我们实验室之前的一项研究检查了成年人在预期厌恶的社会刺激时大脑激活的差异，发现当具有抑制气质的成年人预期看到恐惧面孔时，他们的杏仁核和BNST激活增加，dACC激活减少。在拟议的项目中，我们将测试的差异，在预期观看负面的社会刺激之间的儿童在高风险的发展社会焦虑症（抑制气质）和那些在低风险（不受抑制的气质）与功能性磁共振成像任务，我们已经成功地用于年轻人。我们假设，高风险儿童在预期看到恐惧面孔时，大脑激活会有所不同，包括杏仁核和BNST激活增加，dACC激活减少。由于组间大脑激活的差异可能与大脑区域之间连接的差异有关，我们还将测试杏仁核和dACC之间连接的组间差异。我们认为，处于社交焦虑症高危人群中的儿童，其杏仁核和背侧前扣带皮层之间的连通性会降低。该项目的发起人将是詹妮弗·布莱克福德博士--一位抑制气质和功能性磁共振成像方面的专家--和乌玛·劳博士--一位全国公认的儿童精神病理学专家。我将接受布莱克福德博士和拉奥博士的直接指导，以及布鲁斯·麦克坎迪斯博士和巴克斯特·罗杰斯博士（顾问）的独立研究，接受神经成像技术和儿童精神病理学方面的培训。我还将通过课程学习，独立研究和研讨会获得其他实验技能。我在这个奖学金获得的技能将有助于我准备一个成功的职业生涯作为一个医生，科学家，专注于儿童和青少年焦虑症的神经发育。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social anxiety disorder is a common, chronic, and debilitating disorder, which typically begins during adolescence, and is associated with developmental risk factors, including childhood inhibited temperament. Previous studies have examined neural substrates of social anxiety disorder and inhibited temperament in adults, and found key differences in brain activation in the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). These differences in brain activation may represent neural risk factors for social anxiety disorder. However, it is crucial to determine if these risk factors are present early in development, in children at high risk for developing social anxiety disorder (inhibited temperament). In order to study changes in neural circuitry in high-risk children, we will focus on anticipatory processing - a key psychological process in social anxiety disorder and inhibited temperament. Prior to a social event, an individual may experience anticipatory worry, accompanied by physiological arousal, including sweating, shaking, and heart racing. A prior study by our lab examined differences in brain activation during anticipation of aversive social stimuli in adults and found that when adults with an inhibited temperament were anticipating viewing fear faces, they had increased activation in the amygdala and BNST, and decreased activation in the dACC. In the proposed project, we will test for differences during anticipation of viewing negative social stimuli between children at hig risk for developing social anxiety disorder (inhibited temperament) and those at low risk (uninhibited temperament) with a functional MRI task we have used successfully in young adults. We hypothesize that high-risk children will show differences in brain activation during anticipation of viewing fear faces, including increased amygdala and BNST activation, and decreased dACC activation. Because differences in brain activation between groups may be related to differences in connectivity between brain regions, we will also test for group differences in connectivity between the amygdala and dACC. We expect that children at high-risk for developing social anxiety disorder will decreased connectivity between the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. The project sponsors will be Dr. Jennifer Blackford-an expert in inhibited temperament and fMRI-and Dr. Uma Rao-a nationally recognized expert on child psychopathology. I will be trained in neuroimaging techniques and child psychopathology via direct mentoring by Dr. Blackford and Dr. Rao, as well as independent studies with Dr. Bruce McCandliss and Dr. Baxter Rogers (consultants). I will also gain other experimental skills through coursework, independent studies, and seminars. The skills I gain during this fellowship will help to prepare me for a successful career as a physician- scientist, focused the neurodevelopment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.