Neural Substrates of Anticipation in Children at Risk for Anxiety

描述(申请人提供)：社交焦虑症是一种常见的、慢性的和衰弱的障碍，通常始于青春期，与发展风险因素有关，包括童年抑制的气质。以前的研究已经检查了成年人社交焦虑障碍和抑制气质的神经基础，并发现杏仁核、终纹床核(BNST)和背侧前扣带皮质(DACC)的大脑激活存在关键差异。这些大脑激活的差异可能代表了社交焦虑症的神经风险因素。然而，关键是要确定这些危险因素是否存在于发育早期的儿童中，这些儿童是患社交障碍的高危人群。 焦虑症(受抑制的气质)。为了研究高危儿童神经回路的变化，我们将重点研究预期处理--社交焦虑障碍和压抑气质的关键心理过程。在社交活动之前，个体可能会经历预期的焦虑，伴随着生理唤醒，包括出汗、颤抖和心跳加速。我们实验室先前的一项研究考察了成年人在预期厌恶的社会刺激时大脑激活的差异，发现当气质抑制的成年人预测观看恐惧面孔时，他们杏仁核和BNST的激活增加，而dACC的激活减少。在拟议的项目中，我们将使用我们在年轻人中成功使用的功能磁共振任务，测试患社交焦虑症的高危儿童(抑制气质)和低风险儿童(自由气质)在观看负面社会刺激预期方面的差异。我们假设，高危儿童在观看恐惧面孔的预期过程中，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。因为不同组之间大脑激活的差异可能与大脑区域之间连接的差异有关，所以我们还将测试杏仁核和dACC之间连接的组差异。我们预计，社交焦虑症的高危儿童将减少杏仁核和背侧前扣带皮质之间的连接。该项目的发起人将是詹妮弗·布莱克福德博士和乌玛·拉奥博士，前者是抑制性情和功能核磁共振方面的专家，后者是全国公认的儿童精神病理学专家。我将通过布莱克福德博士和拉奥博士的直接指导，以及与布鲁斯·麦克坎德利斯博士和巴克斯特·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、独立学习和研讨会获得其他实验技能。我在这次团契中获得的技能将有助于我为成功的职业生涯做准备，成为一名内科科学家，专注于儿童和青少年焦虑症的神经发育。 与公共卫生相关：成人社交焦虑障碍的神经基础已经确定；然而，社交焦虑障碍风险的神经基础尚未找到。期待是社交焦虑障碍的一个重要心理过程。这项拟议的项目将确定社交焦虑症高危儿童的预期神经基础。

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. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Neural substrates of social anxiety disorder in adults have been identified; however, neural substrates of risk for social anxiety disorder have yet to be found. Anticipation is a key psychological process in social anxiety disorder. The proposed project will determine neural substrates of anticipation in children at high risk for developing social anxiety disorder.