Amygdala habituation to emotional faces in adolescents with internalizing disorders, adolescents with childhood sexual abuse related PTSD and healthy adolescents

Bianca G. van den Bulk; Leah H. Somerville; Marie-José van Hoof; Natasja D.J. van Lang; Nic J.A. van der Wee; Eveline A. Crone; Robert R.J.M. Vermeiren

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2016.08.002

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Oct 2016)

Amygdala habituation to emotional faces in adolescents with internalizing disorders, adolescents with childhood sexual abuse related PTSD and healthy adolescents

Bianca G. van den Bulk,
Leah H. Somerville,
Marie-José van Hoof,
Natasja D.J. van Lang,
Nic J.A. van der Wee,
Eveline A. Crone,
Robert R.J.M. Vermeiren

Affiliations

Bianca G. van den Bulk: Curium-LUMC, Department of Child Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands
Leah H. Somerville: Department of Psychology, Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Marie-José van Hoof: Curium-LUMC, Department of Child Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands
Natasja D.J. van Lang: Curium-LUMC, Department of Child Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands
Nic J.A. van der Wee: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands
Eveline A. Crone: Institute of Psychology, Brain and Development Lab, Leiden University, P.O. box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, the Netherlands
Robert R.J.M. Vermeiren: Curium-LUMC, Department of Child Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2016.08.002
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 21, no. C
pp. 15 – 25

Abstract

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Adolescents with internalizing disorders and adolescents with childhood sexual abuse related post-traumatic stress disorder (CSA-related PTSD) show a large overlap in symptomatology. In addition, brain research indicated hyper-responsiveness and sustained activation instead of habituation of amygdala activation to emotional faces in both groups. Little is known, however, about whether the same patterns of amygdala habituation are present in these two groups. The current study examined habituation patterns of amygdala activity to emotional faces (fearful, happy and neutral) in adolescents with a DSM-IV depressive and/or anxiety disorder (N = 25), adolescents with CSA-related PTSD (N = 19) and healthy controls (N = 26). Behaviourally, the adolescents from the internalizing and CSA-related PTSD group reported more anxiety to fearful and neutral faces than adolescents from the control group and adolescents from the CSA-related PTSD group reacted slower compared to the internalizing group. At the whole brain level, there was a significant interaction between time and group within the left amygdala. Follow-up ROI analysis showed elevated initial activity in the amygdala and rapid habituation in the CSA-related PTSD group compared to the internalizing group. These findings suggest that habituation patterns of amygdala activation provide additional information on problems with emotional face processing. Furthermore, the results suggest there are differences in the underlying neurobiological mechanisms related to emotional face processing for adolescents with internalizing disorders and adolescents with CSA-related PTSD. Possibly CSA-related PTSD is characterized by a stronger primary emotional response driven by the amygdala.

Published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

ISSN: 1878-9293 (Print); 1878-9307 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Physiology: Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/developmental-cognitive-neuroscience/

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