Family Imaging Study of Children at Risk for Anxiety

描述（由申请人提供）：有焦虑风险儿童的家庭影像学研究：拟议的家庭研究将采用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）方法来研究父母及其后代焦虑症的神经基础，以及导致焦虑症风险增加的脆弱性因素。通过一个同时资助的项目，我们可以获得独特的纵向跟踪马萨诸塞州总医院样本的父母和他们的青少年后代（N=446）的风险恐慌症（PD），比较后代的风险抑郁症（MD），和儿童没有情绪或焦虑障碍的脆弱性。我们建议使用已建立的功能磁共振认知行为探针来测试特定的假设，有关行为抑制（BI）和父母的恐慌症的因素，赋予风险发展焦虑症的青少年后代的杏仁-额叶功能的差异。此外，我们将通过检查青少年与无焦虑症的杏仁核-额叶功能的差异来研究病理生理学，同时控制BI和父母的诊断。最后，我们将测试父母和他们的后代之间的杏仁核额叶功能的家族关联。拟议的研究有望推进关于焦虑症从青春期到成年的病理生理学的知识，并阐明发展焦虑症的危险因素的神经基础，包括行为抑制和父母诊断。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Family Imaging Study of Children at Risk for Anxiety: The proposed family study will employ functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods to investigate the neural substrates of anxiety disorders in parents and their offspring as well as vulnerability factors that confer increased risk to develop anxiety disorders. Via a concurrently funded project, we enjoy access to the unique longitudinally followed Massachusetts General Hospital sample of parents and their adolescent offspring (N=446) at risk for panic disorder (PD), comparison offspring at risk for depression (MD), and children without vulnerability to mood or anxiety disorders. We propose to use established fMRI cognitive behavioral probes to test specific hypotheses regarding differences in amygdalo-frontal function related to behavioral inhibition (Bl) and parental panic disorder as factors that confer risk to develop anxiety disorders in adolescent offspring. In addition, we will investigate pathophysiology by examining differences in amygdalo-frontal function between adolescents with and without anxiety disorders while controlling for Bl and parental diagnosis. Finally, we will test for familial associations in amygdalo-frontal function between parents and their offspring. The proposed research promises to advance knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders from adolescence to adulthood and to elucidate the neural basis of risk factors for developing anxiety disorders, including behavioral inhibition and parental diagnosis.