Abstract Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment... Show moreAbstract Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is another transdiagnostic risk factor that may be relevant to explain differences in patient characteristics within diagnostic classifications. Objective: In the current study, we examined unique relations of resting state functional connectivity with Ud and GPF. Method: Resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) data were collected from a mixed group of adolescents (N =74) with and without psychiatric disorder, part of the Emotional Pathways’ Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents study. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Associations between Ud, GPF, and RSFC of the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and with amygdala- medial frontal connectivity were examined. Results: Ud was positively associated with greater functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, Ud was negatively associated with left amygdala-medial frontal cortex connectivity. GPF was not significantly associated with dACC or amygdala connectivity. Conclusions: Atypical amygdala connectivity may reflect a vulnerability factor rather than a biomarker of psychopathology. The unique association of Ud and amygdala RSFC connectivity, adjusted for a GPF, across participants with and without various classifications of psychopathology illustrates that dimensional approaches based on the AAI may complement psychiatric classifications in clinical research and practice. Keywords: General psychopathology factor; unresolved– disorganized attachment; amygdala; resting-state functional connectivity; dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; medial prefrontal cortex; psychopathology; adolescents Show less
Abstract Background: A dimensional approach of psychopathology focuses on features and risk factors that are shared across diagnoses. In support for this dimensional approach, studies point to a... Show moreAbstract Background: A dimensional approach of psychopathology focuses on features and risk factors that are shared across diagnoses. In support for this dimensional approach, studies point to a general psychopathology factor (GPF) associated with risk for multiple psychiatric disorders. It is, however, unknown how GPF relates to white matter integrity (WMI). In the current diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study, we examined how GPF relates to abnormalities in a skeleton representation of white matter tracts, taking into account a trans-diagnostic risk factor: unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) resulting from loss or trauma. Methods: Unique associations between GPF, Ud, and WMI were examined in a combined sample of adolescents (N = 63) with childhood sexual abuse-related posttraumatic stress disorder (N = 18), anxiety and depressive disorders (N = 26) and without psychiatric disorder (N = 19). WMI was measured using DTI. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview. We controlled for puberty stage, gender, age, and IQ. Results: Controlling for GPF, Ud was associated with reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the splenium and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). Controlling for Ud, GPF was associated with reduced FA in the genu and body of the corpus callosum. Conclusions: Decreasing WMI in the genu and body with increasing psychopathology across diagnoses suggests demyelinization in these areas and may underlie comorbidity and presence of symptoms that transcend psychopathological diagnoses. In contrast, trauma-related WMI reductions in the splenium and IFOF may account for heterogeneity within diagnostic categories as a function of childhood trauma. These findings support the importance of a dimensional approach in addition to traditional diagnostic classifications in clinical research and practice. Keywords: Adversity, Child abuse, Psychopathology, Attachment, Brain imaging Show less
Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is... Show moreBackground: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is another transdiagnostic risk factor that may be relevant to explain differences in patient characteristics within diagnostic classifications. Objective: In the current study, we examined unique relations of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) with Ud and GPF. Method: RSFC data were collected from a mixed group of adolescents (N = 74) with and without psychiatric disorder, as part of the Emotional Pathways' Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents (EPISCA) study. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Associations between Ud, GPF, and RSFC of the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and with amygdala-medial frontal connectivity were examined. Results: Ud was positively associated with greater functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, Ud was negatively associated with left amygdala-medial frontal cortex connectivity. GPF was not significantly associated with dACC or amygdala connectivity. Conclusions: Atypical amygdala connectivity may reflect a vulnerability factor rather than a biomarker of psychopathology. The unique association of Ud and amygdala RSFC, adjusted for a GPF, across participants with and without various classifications of psychopathology illustrates that dimensional approaches based on the AAI may complement psychiatric classifications in clinical research and practice. Show less
The current study examined behavioral and neural responses to infant and adult tears, taking into account childhood experiences with parental love-withdrawal. With functional MRI (fMRI), we... Show moreThe current study examined behavioral and neural responses to infant and adult tears, taking into account childhood experiences with parental love-withdrawal. With functional MRI (fMRI), we measured neural reactivity to pictures of infants and adults with and without tears on their faces in nulliparous women with varying childhood experiences of maternal use of love withdrawal. Behavioral responses to infant and adult tears were measured with an approach-avoidance task. We found that individuals with experiences of love withdrawal showed less amygdala and insula reactivity to adult tears, but love withdrawal did not affect amygdala and insula reactivity to infant tears. During the approach-avoidance task, individuals responded faster to adult tears in the approach condition compared with the avoidance condition, indicating that adult tears facilitate approach behavior. Individuals responded faster to infant tears than to adult tears, regardless of approach or avoidance condition. Our findings suggest that infant tears are highly salient and may, therefore, overrule the effects of contextual and personal characteristics that influence the perception of adult crying. (PsycINFO Database Record Show less
Riem, M.M.E.; Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J.; IJzendoorn, M.H. van 2016
The current study examined the effects of oxytocin administration on the response to infant crying in individuals with secure or insecure attachment representations as assessed with the Adult... Show moreThe current study examined the effects of oxytocin administration on the response to infant crying in individuals with secure or insecure attachment representations as assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview. We measured feelings of irritation and the use of excessive force as indicated by grip strength using a handgrip dynamometer during exposure to infant crying in 42 women without children who were administered intranasal oxytocin or a placebo. In addition, amygdala responses to infant crying and control sounds were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The effects of oxytocin on reactivity to crying were moderated by attachment security. Oxytocin decreased the use of excessive handgrip force and amygdala reactivity in response to crying in individuals with insecure attachment representations. Our findings indicate that insecure individuals, who show emotional, behavioral, and neural hyperreactivity to crying, benefit the most from intranasal oxytocin. Show less
Background: Oxytocin facilitates parental caregiving and mother-infant bonding and might be involved in responses to infant crying. Infant crying provides information about the physical status and... Show moreBackground: Oxytocin facilitates parental caregiving and mother-infant bonding and might be involved in responses to infant crying. Infant crying provides information about the physical status and mood of the infant and elicits parental proximity and caregiving. Oxytocin might modulate the activation of brain structures involved in the perception of cry sounds-specifically the insula, the amygdala, and the thalamocingulate circuit-and thereby affect responsiveness to infant crying. Method: In a randomized controlled trial we investigated the influence of intranasally administered oxytocin on neural responses to infant crying with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blood oxygenation level-dependent responses to infant crying were measured in 21 women who were administered oxytocin and 21 women who were administered a placebo. Results: Induced oxytocin levels reduced, experimentally, activation in the amygdala and increased activation in the insula and inferior frontal gyrus pars triangularis. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that oxytocin promotes responsiveness to infant crying by reducing activation in the neural circuitry for anxiety and aversion and increasing activation in regions involved in empathy. Show less
