Amygdala Functional Connectivity Features in Grief: A Pilot Longitudinal Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Complicated grief (CG) is a debilitating condition affecting a minority of older adults after loss.
• The neurobiological underpinnings of maladaptive grief responses remain largely unknown.
• Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate amygdala brain network features in complicated grief.
• To examine how these features explain symptom variance cross-sectionally.
• To determine if these features longitudinally predict grief symptom trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess amygdala functional connectivity (Fc).
• Participants included 35 adults within 1 year of losing a loved one and 21 healthy controls (HC).
• Clinical assessments, including the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), were conducted over 26 weeks.

Main Results:

• Grief participants exhibited increased amygdala Fc in posterior default mode and thalamus regions compared to HC.
• Baseline amygdala Fc in default mode and ventral affective regions correlated positively with ICG scores.
• Increased baseline amygdala connectivity with dorsal frontal and salience networks predicted worsening ICG scores longitudinally.

Conclusions:

• Amygdala-based brain network measures show potential as cross-sectional and longitudinal correlates of grief symptoms.
• These findings provide preliminary evidence for amygdala network function as potential biomarkers for complicated grief.
• Further research can explore the therapeutic implications of targeting these brain networks.