BNST and amygdala activation to threat: Effects of temporal predictability and threat mode

Siminski, N. and Bohme, S. and Zeller, J. B. M. and Becker, M. P. and Bruchmann, M. and Hofmann, D. and Breuer, F. and Muhlberger, A. and Schiele, M. A. and Weber, H. and Schartner, C. and Deckert, J. and Pauli, P. and Reif, A. and Domschke, K. and Straube, T. and Herrmann, M. J. (2021) BNST and amygdala activation to threat: Effects of temporal predictability and threat mode. BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH, 396: 112883. ISSN 0166-4328, 1872-7549

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Abstract

Recent animal and human studies highlight the uncertainty about the onset of an aversive event as a crucial factor for the involvement of the centromedial amygdala (CM) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) activity. However, studies investigating temporally predictable or unpredictable threat anticipation and confrontation processes are rare. Furthermore, the few existing fMRI studies analyzing temporally predictable and unpredictable threat processes used small sample sizes or limited fMRI paradigms. Therefore, we measured functional brain activity in 109 predominantly female healthy participants during a temporally predictable-unpredictable threat paradigm, which aimed to solve limited aspects of recent studies. Results showed higher BNST activity compared to the CM during the cue indicating that the upcoming confrontation is aversive relative to the cue indicating an upcoming neutral confrontation. Both the CM and BNST showed higher activity during the confrontation with unpredictable and aversive stimuli, but the reaction to aversive confrontation relative to neutral confrontation was stronger in the CM compared to the BNST. Additional modulation analyses by NPSR1 rs324981 genotype revealed higher BNST activity relative to the CM in unpredictable anticipation relative to predictable anticipation in T-carriers compared to AA carriers. Our results indicate that during the confrontation with aversive or neutral stimuli, temporal unpredictability modulates CM and BNST activity. Further, there is a differential activity concerning threat processing, as BNST is more involved when focussing on fear-related anticipation processes and CM is more involved when focussing on threat confrontation.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: S RECEPTOR GENE; SUSTAINED BRAIN RESPONSES; NEUROPEPTIDE-S; BED NUCLEUS; STRIA TERMINALIS; EXTENDED AMYGDALA; ANXIETY; ANTICIPATION; STRESS; FEAR; Amygdala; BNST; Anticipation; Confrontation; Temporal predictability
Subjects: 100 Philosophy & psychology > 150 Psychology
Divisions: Human Sciences > Institut für Psychologie > Lehrstuhl für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie - Lehrstuhl für Psychologie VIII - Prof. Dr. Andreas Mühlberger
Depositing User: Dr. Gernot Deinzer
Date Deposited: 21 Sep 2022 11:17
Last Modified: 21 Sep 2022 11:17
URI: https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/47852

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