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Brouillard A, Davignon LM, Turcotte AM, Marin MF. Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1228504. [PMID: 38027091 PMCID: PMC10661904 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1228504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endogenous sex hormones and oral contraceptives (OCs) have been shown to influence key regions implicated in fear processing. While OC use has been found to impact brain morphology, methodological challenges remain to be addressed, such as avoiding selection bias between OC users and non-users, as well as examining potential lasting effects of OC intake. Objective We investigated the current and lasting effects of OC use, as well as the interplay between the current hormonal milieu and history of hormonal contraception use on structural correlates of the fear circuitry. We also examined the role of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones within this network. Methods We recruited healthy adults aged 23-35 who identified as women currently using (n = 62) or having used (n = 37) solely combined OCs, women who never used any hormonal contraceptives (n = 40), or men (n = 41). Salivary endogenous sex hormones and current users' salivary ethinyl estradiol (EE) were assessed using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we extracted surface-based gray matter volumes (GMVs) and cortical thickness (CT) for regions of interest of the fear circuitry. Exploratory whole-brain analyses were conducted with surface-based and voxel-based morphometry methods. Results Compared to men, all three groups of women exhibited a larger GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, while only current users showed a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Irrespective of the menstrual cycle phase, never users exhibited a thicker right anterior insular cortex than past users. While associations with endogenous sex hormones remain unclear, we showed that EE dosage in current users had a greater influence on brain anatomy compared to salivary EE levels and progestin androgenicity, with lower doses being associated with smaller cortical GMVs. Discussion Our results highlight a sex difference for the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex GMV (a fear-promoting region), as well as a reduced CT of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a fear-inhibiting region) specific to current OC use. Precisely, this finding was driven by lower EE doses. These findings may represent structural vulnerabilities to anxiety and stress-related disorders. We showed little evidence of durable anatomical effects, suggesting that OC intake can (reversibly) affect fear-related brain morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brouillard
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa-Marie Davignon
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Marie-France Marin
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Albaugh MD, Hudziak JJ, Spechler PA, Chaarani B, Lepage C, Jeon S, Rioux P, Evans AC, Banaschewski T, Bokde ALW, Desrivières S, Flor H, Gowland P, Heinz A, Ittermann B, Martinot JL, Martinot MLP, Nees F, Orfanos DP, Poustka L, Millenet S, Fröhner JH, Smolka MN, Walter H, Whelan R, Schumann G, Potter AS, Garavan H. Conduct problems are associated with accelerated thinning of emotion-related cortical regions in a community-based sample of adolescents. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 330:111614. [PMID: 36812809 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have examined the association between conduct problems and cerebral cortical development. Herein, we characterize the association between age-related brain change and conduct problems in a large longitudinal, community-based sample of adolescents. 1,039 participants from the IMAGEN study possessed psychopathology and surface-based morphometric data at study baseline (M = 14.42 years, SD = 0.40; 559 females) and 5-year follow-up. Self-reports of conduct problems were obtained using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Vertex-level linear mixed effects models were implemented using the Matlab toolbox, SurfStat. To investigate the extent to which cortical thickness maturation was qualified by dimensional measures of conduct problems, we tested for an interaction between age and SDQ Conduct Problems (CP) score. There was no main effect of CP score on cortical thickness; however, a significant "Age by CP" interaction was revealed in bilateral insulae, left inferior frontal gyrus, left rostral anterior cingulate, left posterior cingulate, and bilateral inferior parietal cortices. Across regions, follow-up analysis revealed higher levels of CP were associated with accelerated age-related thinning. Findings were not meaningfully altered when controlling for alcohol use, co-occurring psychopathology, and socioeconomic status. Results may help to further elucidate neurodevelopmental patterns linking adolescent conduct problems with adverse adult outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Albaugh
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America.
| | - James J Hudziak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America
| | - Philip A Spechler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America
| | - Bader Chaarani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America
| | - Claude Lepage
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Seun Jeon
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pierre Rioux
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alan C Evans
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Arun L W Bokde
- Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Sylvane Desrivières
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Precision Medicine (PONS), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, SGDP Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Herta Flor
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, 68131 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Penny Gowland
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Ittermann
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig and Berlin, Germany [or depending on journal requirements can be: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestr. 2 - 12, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jean-Luc Martinot
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U 1299 "Trajectoires développementales & psychiatrie", University Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, Centre Borelli, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U 1299 "Trajectoires développementales & psychiatrieȝ, University Paris-Saclay, CNRS; Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, Centre Borelli; Gif-sur-Yvette, Paris; France; AP-HP. Sorbonne University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris; France
| | - Frauke Nees
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany; Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Luise Poustka
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Göttingen, von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sabina Millenet
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Juliane H Fröhner
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael N Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Whelan
- School of Psychology and Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Centre for Population Neuroscience and Precision Medicine (PONS), Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Alexandra S Potter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States of America
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Aberizk K, Collins MA, Addington J, Bearden CE, Cadenhead KS, Cornblatt BA, Mathalon DH, McGlashan TH, Perkins DO, Tsuang MT, Woods SW, Cannon TD, Walker EF. Life Event Stress and Reduced Cortical Thickness in Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis and Healthy Control Subjects. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:171-179. [PMID: 33930604 PMCID: PMC8551305 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A decline in cortical thickness during early life appears to be a normal neuromaturational process. Accelerated cortical thinning has been linked with conversion to psychosis among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P). Previous research indicates that exposure to life event stress (LES) is associated with exaggerated cortical thinning in both healthy and clinical populations, and LES is also linked with conversion to psychosis in CHR-P. To date, there are no reports on the relationship of LES with cortical thickness in CHR-P. This study examines this relationship and whether LES is linked with cortical thinning to a greater degree in individuals at CHR-P who convert to psychosis compared with individuals at CHR-P who do not convert and healthy control subjects. METHODS Controlling for age and gender (364 male, 262 female), this study examined associations between LES and baseline cortical thickness in 436 individuals at CHR-P (375 nonconverters and 61 converters) and 190 comparison subjects in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study. RESULTS Findings indicate that prebaseline cumulative LES is associated with reduced baseline cortical thickness in several regions among the CHR-P and control groups. Evidence suggests that LES is a risk factor for thinner cortex to the same extent across diagnostic groups, while CHR-P status is linked with thinner cortex in select regions after accounting for LES. CONCLUSIONS This research provides additional evidence to support the role of LES in cortical thinning in both healthy youth and those at CHR-P. Potential underlying mechanisms of the findings and implications for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Aberizk
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Meghan A Collins
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jean Addington
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kristin S Cadenhead
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | | | - Daniel H Mathalon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, California
| | | | - Diana O Perkins
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Ming T Tsuang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Scott W Woods
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Tyrone D Cannon
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Elaine F Walker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Lamballais S, Muetzel RL. QDECR: A Flexible, Extensible Vertex-Wise Analysis Framework in R. Front Neuroinform 2021; 15:561689. [PMID: 33967730 PMCID: PMC8100226 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2021.561689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is fundamental to the functioning of the mind and body. In vivo cortical morphology can be studied through magnetic resonance imaging in several ways, including reconstructing surface-based models of the cortex. However, existing software for surface-based statistical analyses cannot accommodate "big data" or commonly used statistical methods such as the imputation of missing data, extensive bias correction, and non-linear modeling. To address these shortcomings, we developed the QDECR package, a flexible and extensible R package for group-level statistical analysis of cortical morphology. QDECR was written with large population-based epidemiological studies in mind and was designed to fully utilize the extensive modeling options in R. QDECR currently supports vertex-wise linear regression. Design matrix generation can be done through simple, familiar R formula specification, and includes user-friendly extensions for R options such as polynomials, splines, interactions and other terms. QDECR can handle unimputed and imputed datasets with thousands of participants. QDECR has a modular design, and new statistical models can be implemented which utilize several aspects from other generic modules which comprise QDECR. In summary, QDECR provides a framework for vertex-wise surface-based analyses that enables flexible statistical modeling and features commonly used in population-based and clinical studies, which have until now been largely absent from neuroimaging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Lamballais
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ryan L. Muetzel
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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