scholarly journals Intrinsic functional connectivity of the central extended amygdala

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael M. Tillman ◽  
Melissa D. Stockbridge ◽  
Brendon M. Nacewicz ◽  
Salvatore Torrisi ◽  
Andrew S. Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Extended Amygdala ◽  
Intrinsic Functional Connectivity ◽  
Multiband Imaging ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

ABSTRACTThe central extended amygdala (EAc)—including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce)—plays a key role in orchestrating states of fear and anxiety and is implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse. Although it is widely thought that these disorders reflect the coordinated actions of large-scale functional circuits in the brain, the architecture of the EAc functional network, and the degree to which the BST and the Ce show distinct patterns of intrinsic functional connectivity, remains incompletely understood. Here, we leveraged a combination of approaches to trace the connectivity of the BST and the Ce in 130 psychiatrically healthy, racially diverse, community-dwelling adults with enhanced power and precision. Multiband imaging, high-precision data registration techniques, and spatially unsmoothed data were used to maximize anatomical specificity. Using newly developed seed regions, whole-brain regression analyses revealed robust functional connectivity between the BST and Ce via the sublenticular extended amygdala (‘substantia innominata’), the ribbon of subcortical gray matter encompassing the ventral amygdalofugal pathway. Both regions displayed significant coupling with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), midcingulate cortex (MCC), insula, and anterior hippocampus. The BST showed significantly stronger connectivity with prefrontal territories—including the vmPFC, anterior MCC and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex—as well as the thalamus, striatum, and the periaqueductal gray. The only regions showing stronger functional connectivity with the Ce were located in the anterior hippocampus and dorsal amygdala. These observations provide a baseline against which to compare a range of special populations, inform our understanding of the role of the EAc in normal and pathological fear and anxiety, and highlight the value of several new approaches to image registration which may be particularly useful for researchers working with ‘de-identified’ neuroimaging data.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTIntrinsic functional connectivity of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) in 130 psychiatrically healthy adults.HIGHLIGHTSBST and Ce implicated in normal and pathological fear and anxietyTraced the intrinsic functional connectivity of the BST and the Ce in 130 adultsMultiband imaging, high-precision registration, unsmoothed data, newly developed seedsBST and Ce show robust coupling with one another, hippocampus, insula, MCC, and vmPFCBST shows stronger coupling with prefrontal/cingulate territories and brainstem/PAG

scholarly journals Intrinsic functional connectivity of the central nucleus of the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

NeuroImage ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 392-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam X. Gorka ◽  
Salvatore Torrisi ◽  
Alexander J. Shackman ◽  
Christian Grillon ◽  
Monique Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Intrinsic Functional Connectivity

Distinct phasic and sustained brain responses and connectivity of amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during threat anticipation in panic disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (15) ◽  
pp. 2675-2688 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Brinkmann ◽  
C. Buff ◽  
K. Feldker ◽  
S. V. Tupak ◽  
M. P. I. Becker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Panic Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

BackgroundPanic disorder (PD) patients are constantly concerned about future panic attacks and exhibit general hypersensitivity to unpredictable threat. We aimed to reveal phasic and sustained brain responses and functional connectivity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) during threat anticipation in PD.MethodsUsing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated 17 PD patients and 19 healthy controls (HC) during anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversive and neutral sounds. We used a phasic and sustained analysis model to disentangle temporally dissociable brain activations.ResultsPD patients compared with HC showed phasic amygdala and sustained BNST responses during anticipation of aversive v. neutral stimuli. Furthermore, increased phasic activation was observed in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Insula and PFC also showed sustained activation. Functional connectivity analyses revealed partly distinct phasic and sustained networks.ConclusionsWe demonstrate a role for the BNST during unpredictable threat anticipation in PD and provide first evidence for dissociation between phasic amygdala and sustained BNST activation and their functional connectivity. In line with a hypersensitivity to uncertainty in PD, our results suggest time-dependent involvement of brain regions related to fear and anxiety.

Inter-individual differences in trait anxiety shape the functional connectivity between the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the amygdala during brief threat processing

NeuroImage ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 110-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Brinkmann ◽  
Christine Buff ◽  
Katharina Feldker ◽  
Paula Neumeister ◽  
Carina Y. Heitmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Threat Processing

scholarly journals Embryonic Origin of the Islet1 and Pax6 Neurons of the Chicken Central Extended Amygdala Using Cell Migration Assays and Relation to Different Neuropeptide-Containing Cells

2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Vicario ◽  
Antonio Abellán ◽  
Loreta Medina
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Dorsal Part ◽  
Medial Region ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Extended Amygdala ◽  
Embryonic Origin ◽  
Migration Assays

In a recent study, we tentatively identified different subdivisions of the central extended amygdala (EAce) in chicken based on the expression of region-specific transcription factors (including Pax6 and Islet1) and several phenotypic markers during embryonic development. Such a proposal was partially based on the suggestion that, similarly to the subdivisions of the EAce of mammals, the Pax6 and Islet1 neurons of the comparable chicken subdivisions derive from the dorsal (Std) or ventral striatal embryonic domains (Stv), respectively. To investigate whether this is true, in the present study, we carried out cell migration assays from chicken Std or Stv combined with immunofluorescence for Pax6 or Islet1. Our results showed that the cells of the proposed chicken EAce truly originate in either Std (expressing Pax6) or Stv (expressing Islet1). This includes lateral subdivisions previously compared to the intercalated amygdalar cells and the central amygdala of mammals, also rich in Std-derived Pax6 cells and/or Stv-derived Islet1 cells. In the medial region of the chicken EAce, the dorsal part of the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTL) contains numerous cells expressing Nkx2.1 (mostly derived from the pallidal domain), but our migration assays showed that it also contains neuron subpopulations from the Stv (expressing Islet1) and Std (expressing Pax6), resembling the mouse BSTL. These findings, together with those previously published in different species of mammals, birds and reptiles, support the homology of the chicken EAce to that of other vertebrates, and reinforce the existence of several cell subcorridors inside the EAce. In addition, together with previously published data on neuropeptidergic cells, these results led us to propose the existence of at least seventeen neuron subtypes in the EAce in rodents and/or some birds (chicken and pigeon). The functional significance and the evolutionary origin of each subtype needs to be analyzed separately, and such studies are mandatory in order to understand the multifaceted modulation by the EAce of fear responses, ingestion, motivation and pain in different vertebrates.

scholarly journals Forebrain neurons that project to the gustatory parabrachial nucleus in rat lack glutamic acid decarboxylase

2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (1) ◽  
pp. R52-R57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Saggu ◽  
Robert F. Lundy
Keyword(s):  
Glutamic Acid ◽  
Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Parabrachial Nucleus ◽  
Acid Decarboxylase ◽  
Inhibitory Influence ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Forebrain Neurons

Evidence suggests that GABA might mediate the inhibitory influence of centrifugal inputs on taste-evoked responses in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN). Previous studies show that activation of the gustatory cortex (GC), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), and lateral hypothalamus (LH) inhibits PBN taste responses, GABAergic neurons are present in these forebrain regions, and GABA reduces the input resistance of PBN neurons. The present study investigated the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactivity (GAD_67 ir) in GC, BNST, CeA, and LH neurons that project to the PBN in rats. After anesthesia (50 mg/kg ip Nembutal), injections of the retrograde tracer Fluorogold (FG) were made in the physiologically defined gustatory PBN. Brain tissue containing the above forebrain structures was processed and examined for FG and GAD_67 ir. Similar to previous studies, each forebrain site contained retrogradely labeled neurons. Our results suggest further that the major source of input to the PBN taste region is the CeA (608 total cells) followed by GC (257 cells), LH (106 cells), and BNST (92 cells). This suggests a differential contribution to centrifugal control of PBN taste processing. We further show that despite the presence of GAD_67 neurons in each forebrain area, colocalization was extremely rare, occurring only in 3 out of 1,063 FG-labeled cells. If we assume that the influence of centrifugal input is mediated by direct projections to the gustatory region of the PBN, then GABAergic forebrain neurons apparently are not part of this descending pathway.

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