Family Imaging Study of Children at Risk for Anxiety

描述（由申请人提供）：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磁共振成像（fMRI）方法调查父母及其后代焦虑障碍的神经基质，以及导致焦虑障碍风险增加的易感因素。通过一个同时资助的项目，我们有机会获得马萨诸塞州总医院独特的纵向跟踪样本，包括有惊恐障碍（PD）风险的父母及其青春期后代（N=446），有抑郁风险的后代（MD）的比较，以及没有情绪或焦虑障碍易感性的儿童。我们建议使用已建立的fMRI认知行为探针来测试与行为抑制（Bl）和父母惊恐障碍相关的杏仁核-额叶功能差异作为青少年后代患焦虑症风险的因素的特定假设。此外，在控制Bl和父母诊断的情况下，我们将通过检查有和没有焦虑障碍的青少年杏仁核-额叶功能的差异来研究病理生理学。最后，我们将测试在父母和他们的后代之间的杏仁核-额叶功能的家族关联。该研究有望促进对青少年至成年期焦虑症病理生理学的认识，并阐明发生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.