White Matter-Based Structural Brain Network of Anxiety
1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Korea.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|February 1, 2020
Summary
Diffusion tensor imaging reveals white matter micro-alterations in anxiety disorders. These changes, particularly in the uncinate fasciculus, are linked to conditions like panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Anxiety disorders involve excessive fear and related behavioral disturbances.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) detects subtle brain pathology, aiding the study of psychiatric disorders.
- White matter microstructure differences are investigated in various psychiatric conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize white matter microstructure differences in anxiety disorders using DTI.
- To explore the neurobiological underpinnings of trait anxiety.
- To identify specific white matter pathways associated with different anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was employed to assess white matter integrity.
- Analysis focused on specific white matter tracts, including the uncinate fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and forceps major.
- Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were examined to quantify microstructural alterations.
Main Results:
- Trait anxiety is associated with the uncinate fasciculus, a pathway connecting the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex.
- Panic disorder shows widespread white matter micro-alterations, varying with symptom severity and comorbidities.
- Social anxiety disorder is linked to fronto-limbic network dysconnectivity, with reduced FA in the uncinate fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder may involve abnormalities in fronto-striato-thalamic circuits and posterior/temporal regions, including the forceps major and cingulum bundle.
- Overall, anxiety disorders exhibit overlapping fronto-cortical and fronto-limbic white matter changes, frequently involving the uncinate fasciculus and cingulum.
Conclusions:
- White matter alterations are implicated in the neurobiology of anxiety disorders.
- Specific white matter tracts, such as the uncinate fasciculus and cingulum bundle, are consistently affected across different anxiety conditions.
- DTI provides valuable insights into the structural brain differences associated with anxiety disorders.
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