Abstract
BACKGROUND: Depression is associated with neural abnormalities in emotional processing.
AIMS: This study explored whether these abnormalities underlie risk for depression.
METHOD: We compared the neural responses of volunteers who were at high and low-risk for the development of depression (by virtue of high and low neuroticism scores; high-N group and low-N group respectively) during the presentation of fearful and happy faces using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
RESULTS: The high-N group demonstrated linear increases in response in the right fusiform gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus to expressions of increasing fear, whereas the low-N group demonstrated the opposite effect. The high-N group also displayed greater responses in the right amygdala, cerebellum, left middle frontal and bilateral parietal gyri to medium levels of fearful v. happy expressions.
CONCLUSIONS: Risk for depression is associated with enhanced neural responses to fearful facial expressions similar to those observed in acute depression.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 139-45 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY |
| Volume | 194 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2009 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Amygdala
- Cerebral Cortex
- Depressive Disorder
- Emotions
- Facial Expression
- Fear
- Female
- Functional Laterality
- Humans
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Male
- Pattern Recognition, Visual
- Personality Assessment
- Risk Factors
- Young Adult