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Neural deficits and emotion regulation among individuals with subclinical levels of generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder

Sinclair, Pontus LU (2020) PSPR14 20201
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Emotions such as anger, fear, and happiness are part of every human’s life. Individuals differ in their ability to regulate their emotions (e.g. controlling one´s anger) and for some individuals the regulation does not function as intended. Disorders like posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are associated with emotion dysregulation, and previous studies of functional and structural imaging have displayed differences in the neural structures of clinical versus healthy populations. These differences typically appear in structures associated with emotion regulation, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. This study investigates MRI data (n = 98) from individuals with subclinical... (More)
Emotions such as anger, fear, and happiness are part of every human’s life. Individuals differ in their ability to regulate their emotions (e.g. controlling one´s anger) and for some individuals the regulation does not function as intended. Disorders like posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are associated with emotion dysregulation, and previous studies of functional and structural imaging have displayed differences in the neural structures of clinical versus healthy populations. These differences typically appear in structures associated with emotion regulation, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. This study investigates MRI data (n = 98) from individuals with subclinical levels of PTSD and GAD to examine if there is an association between deficits in emotion regulation and the thickness of the cortex, and if there is an association between group affiliation (PTSD or GAD compared to a matched control group) and volume of the amygdala or hippocampus.
The hypothesis that deficits in emotion regulation are associated with thinning of the cortex was partially supported: a higher score in the Deficits in Emotion Regulation subscale “Impulse” - the ability to control behavior while upset - predicted a thinner cortex. No other results were significant. For future studies it would be wise to use larger samples, to achieve higher statistical power. The results point to the possibility that the brain’s integrity is not as affected in subthreshold PTSD or GAD as in populations with full clinical diagnosis. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Sinclair, Pontus LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSPR14 20201
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
language
English
id
9013277
date added to LUP
2020-06-09 09:28:10
date last changed
2020-06-09 09:28:10
@misc{9013277,
  abstract     = {{Emotions such as anger, fear, and happiness are part of every human’s life. Individuals differ in their ability to regulate their emotions (e.g. controlling one´s anger) and for some individuals the regulation does not function as intended. Disorders like posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are associated with emotion dysregulation, and previous studies of functional and structural imaging have displayed differences in the neural structures of clinical versus healthy populations. These differences typically appear in structures associated with emotion regulation, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. This study investigates MRI data (n = 98) from individuals with subclinical levels of PTSD and GAD to examine if there is an association between deficits in emotion regulation and the thickness of the cortex, and if there is an association between group affiliation (PTSD or GAD compared to a matched control group) and volume of the amygdala or hippocampus.
The hypothesis that deficits in emotion regulation are associated with thinning of the cortex was partially supported: a higher score in the Deficits in Emotion Regulation subscale “Impulse” - the ability to control behavior while upset - predicted a thinner cortex. No other results were significant. For future studies it would be wise to use larger samples, to achieve higher statistical power. The results point to the possibility that the brain’s integrity is not as affected in subthreshold PTSD or GAD as in populations with full clinical diagnosis.}},
  author       = {{Sinclair, Pontus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Neural deficits and emotion regulation among individuals with subclinical levels of generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}