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Stressor-Specific Sex Differences in Amygdala-Frontal Cortex Networks.
Zoé Bürger1, Veronika I Müller2,3, Felix Hoffstaedter2,3
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Centre for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|February 11, 2023
Summary
Sex differences in stress response are linked to brain connectivity. Females show distinct amygdala-frontal functional connectivity patterns during social exclusion versus achievement stress, suggesting social affiliation is crucial for their coping.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Stress Research
Background:
- Sexes exhibit differing stress reactivity and prevalence of stress-related disorders.
- Neurocognitive models highlight amygdala-frontal functional connectivity in stress coping.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate sex and stressor type effects on amygdala-frontal functional connectivity.
- Examine resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in relation to stress and sex.
Main Methods:
- Within-subject counterbalanced design with 77 healthy participants (40 females).
- Assessed rsFC between amygdala and frontal regions (dlPFC, vACC, mPFC) under two stressor types.
- Measured subjective changes in affect and anger.
Main Results:
- Both stressors altered subjective ratings, decreasing positive affect and increasing negative affect/anger.
- Females displayed higher amygdala-vACC and amygdala-mPFC rsFC during social exclusion compared to achievement stress and males.
- Higher amygdala-vACC rsFC relates to emotion processing/coping; higher amygdala-mPFC rsFC indicates reward/social affiliation benefits.
Conclusions:
- Sex and stressor type interactively influence amygdala-frontal coupling.
- Females' heightened amygdala-frontal connectivity during social exclusion suggests a greater reliance on social affiliation for coping.
- Findings contribute to understanding sex differences in stress coping and disorder prevalence.
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