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Kahhale I, Buser NJ, Madan CR, Hanson JL. Quantifying numerical and spatial reliability of hippocampal and amygdala subdivisions in FreeSurfer. Brain Inform 2023; 10:9. [PMID: 37029203 PMCID: PMC10082143 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-023-00189-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
On-going, large-scale neuroimaging initiatives can aid in uncovering neurobiological causes and correlates of poor mental health, disease pathology, and many other important conditions. As projects grow in scale with hundreds, even thousands, of individual participants and scans collected, quantification of brain structures by automated algorithms is becoming the only truly tractable approach. Here, we assessed the spatial and numerical reliability for newly deployed automated segmentation of hippocampal subfields and amygdala nuclei in FreeSurfer 7. In a sample of participants with repeated structural imaging scans (N = 928), we found numerical reliability (as assessed by intraclass correlations, ICCs) was reasonable. Approximately 95% of hippocampal subfields had "excellent" numerical reliability (ICCs ≥ 0.90), while only 67% of amygdala subnuclei met this same threshold. In terms of spatial reliability, 58% of hippocampal subfields and 44% of amygdala subnuclei had Dice coefficients ≥ 0.70. Notably, multiple regions had poor numerical and/or spatial reliability. We also examined correlations between spatial reliability and person-level factors (e.g., participant age; T1 image quality). Both sex and image scan quality were related to variations in spatial reliability metrics. Examined collectively, our work suggests caution should be exercised for a few hippocampal subfields and amygdala nuclei with more variable reliability.
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Malykhin N, Pietrasik W, Aghamohammadi-Sereshki A, Ngan Hoang K, Fujiwara E, Olsen F. Emotional recognition across the adult lifespan: Effects of age, sex, cognitive empathy, alexithymia traits, and amygdala subnuclei volumes. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:367-383. [PMID: 36478439 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability to recognize others' emotions is vital to everyday life. The goal of this study was to assess which emotions show age-related decline in recognition accuracy of facial emotional expressions across the entire adult lifespan and how this process is related to cognitive empathy (Theory of Mind [ToM]), alexithymia traits, and amygdala subnuclei volumes in a large cohort of healthy individuals. We recruited 140 healthy participants 18-85 years old. Facial affect processing was assessed with the Penn Emotion Recognition task (ER40) that contains images of the five basic emotions: Neutral, Happy, Sad, Angry, and Fearful. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets were acquired on a 4.7T MRI system. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between studied variables. We found that while both sexes demonstrated age-related reduction in recognition of happy emotions and preserved recognition of sadness, male participants showed age-related reduction in recognition of fear, while in female participants, age-related decline was linked to recognition of neutral and angry facial expressions. In both sexes, accurate recognition of sadness negatively correlated with alexithymia traits. On the other hand, better ToM capabilities in male participants were associated with improvement in recognition of positive and neutral emotions. Finally, none of the observed age-related reductions in emotional recognition were related to amygdala and its subnuclei volumes. In contrast, both global volume of amygdala and its cortical and centromedial subnuclei had significant direct effects on recognition of sad images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai Malykhin
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Wojciech Pietrasik
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Kim Ngan Hoang
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Esther Fujiwara
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fraser Olsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Schlüter C, Fraenz C, Friedrich P, Güntürkün O, Genç E. Neurite density imaging in amygdala nuclei reveals interindividual differences in neuroticism. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2051-2063. [PMID: 35049113 PMCID: PMC8933246 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroticism is known to have significant health implications. While previous research revealed that interindividual differences in the amygdala function are associated with interindividual differences in neuroticism, the impact of the amygdala’s structure and especially microstructure on variations in neuroticism remains unclear. Here, we present the first study using NODDI to examine the association between the in vivo microstructural architecture of the amygdala and neuroticism at the level of neurites. We, therefore, acquired brain images from 221 healthy participants using advanced multi‐shell diffusion‐weighted imaging. Because the amygdala comprises several nuclei, we, moreover, used a high‐resolution T1 image to automatically segment the amygdala into eight different nuclei. Neuroticism and its facets have been assessed using the NEO‐PI‐R. Finally, we associated neuroticism and its facets with the volume and microstructure of the amygdala nuclei. Statistical analysis revealed that lower neurite density in the lateral amygdala nucleus (La) was significantly associated with higher scores in depression, one of the six neuroticism facets. The La is the sensory relay of the amygdala, filtering incoming information based on previous experiences. Reduced neurite density and related changes in the dendritic structure of the La could impair its filtering function. This again might cause harmless sensory information to be misevaluated as threatening and lead to the altered amygdala responsivity as reported in previous studies investigating the functional correlates of neuroticism and neuroticism‐related disorders like depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schlüter
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christoph Fraenz
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany
| | - Patrick Friedrich
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Erhan Genç
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany
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Aghamohammadi-Sereshki A, Coupland NJ, Silverstone PH, Huang Y, Hegadoren KM, Carter R, Seres P, Malykhin NV. Effects of childhood adversity on the volumes of the amygdala subnuclei and hippocampal subfields in individuals with major depressive disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E186-E195. [PMID: 33497169 PMCID: PMC7955852 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.200034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reductions in total hippocampus volume have frequently been reported in MRI studies in major depressive disorder (MDD), but reports of differences in total amygdala volume have been inconsistent. Childhood maltreatment is an important risk factor for MDD in adulthood and may affect the volume of the hippocampus and amygdala. In the present study, we examined associations between the volumes of the amygdala subnuclei and hippocampal subfields and history of childhood maltreatment in participants with MDD. METHODS We recruited 35 patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for MDD and 35 healthy controls. We acquired MRI data sets on a 4.7 T Varian Inova scanner. We manually delineated the amygdala subnuclei (lateral, basal and accessory basal nuclei, and the cortical and centromedial groups) and hippocampal subfields (cornu ammonis, subiculum and dentate gyrus) using reliable volumetric methods. We assessed childhood maltreatment using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in participants with MDD. RESULTS In participants with MDD, a history of childhood maltreatment had significant negative associations with volume in the right amygdala, anterior hippocampus and total cornu ammonis subfield bilaterally. For volumes of the amygdala subnuclei, such effects were limited to the basal, accessory basal and cortical subnuclei in the right hemisphere, but they did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. We did not find significant effects of MDD or antidepressant treatment on volumes of the amygdala subnuclei. LIMITATIONS Our study was a cross-sectional study. CONCLUSION Our results provide evidence of negative associations between history of childhood maltreatment and volumes of medial temporal lobe structures in participants with MDD. This may help to identify potential mechanisms by which maltreatment leads to clinical impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Aghamohammadi-Sereshki
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Nicholas J Coupland
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Peter H Silverstone
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Yushan Huang
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Kathleen M Hegadoren
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Rawle Carter
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Peter Seres
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
| | - Nikolai V Malykhin
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., Canada (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Coupland, Silverstone, Carter, Malykhin); the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Huang, Carter, Seres, Malykhin); the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Hegadoren); and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada (Malykhin)
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Aghamohammadi-Sereshki A, Hrybouski S, Travis S, Huang Y, Olsen F, Carter R, Camicioli R, Malykhin NV. Amygdala subnuclei and healthy cognitive aging. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:34-52. [PMID: 30291764 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Amygdala is a group of nuclei involved in the neural circuits of fear, reward learning, and stress. The main goal of this magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was to investigate the relationship between age and the amygdala subnuclei volumes in a large cohort of healthy individuals. Our second goal was to determine effects of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphisms on the amygdala structure. One hundred and twenty-six healthy participants (18-85 years old) were recruited for this study. MRI datasets were acquired on a 4.7 T system. Amygdala was manually segmented into five major subdivisions (lateral, basal, accessory basal nuclei, and cortical, and centromedial groups). The BDNF (methionine and homozygous valine) and APOE genotypes (ε2, homozygous ε3, and ε4) were obtained using single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found significant nonlinear negative associations between age and the total amygdala and its lateral, basal, and accessory basal nuclei volumes, while the cortical amygdala showed a trend. These age-related associations were found only in males but not in females. Centromedial amygdala did not show any relationship with age. We did not observe any statistically significant effects of APOE and BDNF polymorphisms on the amygdala subnuclei volumes. In contrast to APOE ε2 allele carriers, both older APOE ε4 and ε3 allele carriers had smaller lateral, basal, accessory basal nuclei volumes compared to their younger counterparts. This study indicates that amygdala subnuclei might be nonuniformly affected by aging and that age-related association might be gender specific.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stanislau Hrybouski
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Scott Travis
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yushan Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fraser Olsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Rawle Carter
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Richard Camicioli
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nikolai V Malykhin
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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