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Preclinical atherosclerosis covaries with individual differences in reactivity and functional connectivity of the

Peter J Gianaros1, Ahmad R Hariri, Lei K Sheu

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. gianarospj@upmc.edu

Biological Psychiatry
|November 18, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Individual differences in amygdala function are linked to preclinical atherosclerosis, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This suggests a novel neural pathway contributing to CVD risk.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading public health issue.
  • Patients with mood and anxiety disorders have high rates of CVD.
  • The amygdala's function may influence atherosclerosis risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct relationship between preclinical atherosclerosis and amygdala function.
  • To explore how amygdala reactivity and connectivity relate to carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT).

Main Methods:

  • Neuroimaging study of 36 healthy middle-aged adults.
  • Measured carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) as a marker of atherosclerosis.
  • Assessed amygdala reactivity and functional connectivity during emotional stimulus processing.

Main Results:

  • Increased carotid IMT covaried with greater amygdala reactivity.
  • Thicker carotid arteries were associated with stronger amygdala-perigenual anterior cingulate cortex connectivity.
  • These associations persisted after controlling for traditional CVD risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • Individual differences in amygdala reactivity and connectivity may indicate a neural phenotype for atherosclerosis risk.
  • This highlights a potential systems-level mechanism linking brain function to cardiovascular health.
Abstract

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