Human limbic system: Bridging micro- and macroscopic anatomy using advanced imaging

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The limbic system has long been recognized to play a key role in how we experience and control emotions. While one of the most widely studied regions has been the amygdala, frequently implicated in emotional reactivity and recognition, anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal, and ventrolateral prefrontal have been shown to play an important role in emotion reappraisal. Moreover, recent findings from task-based as well as task-free fMRI have shown that multiple emotion generating and regulating regions interact in complex ways that ultimately result in subjective emotional experiences and behaviors, suggesting that it is not sufficient to consider these areas and their underlying processes in isolation. In humans, a detailed in vivo parcellation of the limbic system that integrates structural markup, function and network-level organization is lacking. ***The overall goal of this research for the next 5 years is generate a comprehensive in vivo cartography of the human limbic system through the development of a framework bridging information from microscale cytoarchitecture (derived from 3D post-mortem histology), mesoscale tissue properties (obtained from in vivo submillimetric quantitative contrasts), and macroscale connectivity (inferred from in vivo diffusion MRI and resting-state fMRI), tested and validated within a unique multidisciplinary research and training environment. Multivariate statistical modeling will integrate different levels of analysis. Mediation models will link microstructure, function, and differences in emotion regulation capacity. A main goal is to map the limbic system in the individual's anatomical space without the need for across subject averaging, a necessary step to advance the understanding of the physiology of this network. ***This program will provide excellent training opportunities for the next generation of scientists and advance our understanding of anatomo-functional organization of this circuitry pivotal for affect, relationships and well-being in day-to-day life. Ultimately, this program may foster the development of emotion regulation strategies to cope with everyday problems.