Abstract
Background: Prior studies suggest that hyperactive insula responding to unpredictable aversiveness is a core feature of anxiety disorders. However, no study to date has investigated the neural correlates of unpredictable aversiveness in those with panic disorder (PD) with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the current study was to examine group differences in neural responses to unpredictable and predictable aversiveness in 41 adults with either 1) current PD with comorbid MDD (PD-MDD), 2) current MDD with no lifetime diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (MDD-only), or 3) no lifetime diagnosis of psychopathology. All participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan while viewing temporally predictable or unpredictable negative or neutral images.Findings: The results indicated that individuals with PD-MDD exhibited greater bilateral insula activation to unpredictable aversiveness compared with controls and individuals with MDD-only (who did not differ). There were no group differences in insula activation to predictable aversiveness.Conclusions: These findings add to a growing literature highlighting the role of the insula in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 9 |
| Journal | Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2014 |
Funding
We would like to thank Ashley Huggins, E. Jenna Robison, Sarah E. Altman, Casey Sarapas, Miranda L. Campbell, and Andrea C. Katz for their assistance with the data collection for the present study. This study was supported by grants from Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health Grant R21 MH080689 (PI: Shankman), and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism F31 AA 22273-01A1 (PI: Gorka).
Keywords
- Depression
- Insula
- Panic disorder
- Unpredictable aversiveness
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
