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Adult attachment insecurity and hippocampal cell density
Markus Quirin1, Omri Gillath, Jens C Pruessner
1Department of Psychology, University of Osnabrueck, Germany. mquirin@uos.de
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Attachment insecurity, linked to poor emotion regulation, is associated with reduced hippocampus cell density. Attachment avoidance correlated with bilateral hippocampus reduction, while anxiety linked to left-sided reduction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Attachment insecurity is linked to emotion regulation difficulties.
- Emotion regulation is associated with hippocampus structure and function.
- Clinical disorders, depression, and PTSD, linked to attachment insecurity, show reduced hippocampal cell density.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) and hippocampal cell density.
- To test the hypothesis that attachment insecurity may be linked to reduced hippocampal cell density.
Main Methods:
- Used T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
- Analyzed brain structure in 22 healthy young adults.
- Assessed levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance.
Main Results:
- Attachment avoidance was associated with bilateral hippocampus reduction.
- Attachment anxiety was significantly related to reduced cell concentration in the left hippocampus.
- Findings support the hypothesis linking attachment insecurity to hippocampal changes.
Conclusions:
- Attachment insecurity, specifically avoidance and anxiety, is associated with reduced hippocampal cell density.
- Results align with a neurobiological model of stress impacting the hippocampus.
- Provides insights into emotion regulation in insecurely attached individuals.
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