Amygdala-based intrinsic functional connectivity and anxiety disorders in adolescents and young adults

AbstractWe previously provided initial evidence for cognitive and event-related potential markers of persistence/remission of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. In this follow-up study, using a novel brain-network connectivity approach, we aimed to examine whether functional connectivity reflects a marker of ADHD remission, or an enduring deficit unrelated to ADHD outcome. High-density EEG was recorded in 110 adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD (87 persisters, 23 remitters) and 169 typically-developing individuals during an arrow-flanker task, eliciting cognitive control. Functional connectivity was quantified with network-based graph-theory metrics before target onset (pre-stimulus), during target processing (post-stimulus) and in the degree of change between pre-stimulus/post-stimulus. ADHD outcome was examined with parent-reported symptoms and impairment using both a categorical (DSM-IV) and a dimensional approach. Graph-theory measures converged in indicating that, compared to controls, ADHD persisters showed increased connectivity in pre-stimulus theta, alpha and beta and in post-stimulus beta (all p<.01), and reduced pre-stimulus/post-stimulus change in theta connectivity (p<.01). In the majority of indices showing ADHD persister-control differences, ADHD remitters differed from controls (all p<.05), but not from persisters. Similarly, connectivity measures were not associated with continuous outcome measures of ADHD symptoms and impairment in participants with childhood ADHD. These findings indicate that adolescents and young adults with persistent and remitted ADHD share atypical over-connectivity profiles and reduced ability to modulate connectivity patterns with task demands, compared to controls. Brain connectivity impairments may represent enduring deficits in individuals with childhood ADHD irrespective of diagnostic status in adolescence/young adulthood.

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Smoking May Lead to Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e313412004-002 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults

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Associations of Irritability With Functional Connectivity of Amygdala and Nucleus Accumbens in Adolescents and Young Adults With ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/10870547211057074 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108705472110570

Author(s):

Prerona Mukherjee ◽

Veronika Vilgis ◽

Shawn Rhoads ◽

Rajpreet Chahal ◽

Catherine Fassbender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Neural Connections ◽

Neural Underpinnings

Objective Irritability is a common characteristic in ADHD. We examined whether dysfunction in neural connections supporting threat and reward processing was related to irritability in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Method We used resting-state fMRI to assess connectivity of amygdala and nucleus accumbens seeds in those with ADHD ( n = 34) and an age- and gender-matched typically-developing comparison group ( n = 34). Results In those with ADHD, irritability was associated with atypical functional connectivity of both seed regions. Amygdala seeds showed greater connectivity with right inferior frontal gyrus and caudate/putamen, and less connectivity with precuneus. Nucleus accumbens seeds showed altered connectivity with middle temporal gyrus and precuneus. Conclusion The irritability-ADHD presentation is associated with atypical functional connectivity of reward and threat processing regions with cognitive control and emotion processing regions. These patterns provide novel evidence for irritability-associated neural underpinnings in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. The findings suggest cognitive and behavioral treatments that address response to reward, including omission of an expected reward and irritability, may be beneficial for ADHD.

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