Amygdala response to emotional faces in adolescents with persistent post-concussion symptoms

Publication date: Available online 19 February 2020Source: NeuroImage: ClinicalAuthor(s): Luisa Bohorquez-Montoya, Lezlie Y. España, Amy M. Nader, Robyn E. Furger, Andrew R. Mayer, Timothy B. MeierAbstractApproximately 30% of adolescents with concussion develop persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) that include emotional symptoms. Elevated amygdalae reactivity to emotional faces has been reported in a variety of psychopathologies characterized by emotional symptoms overlapping with those in PPCS. We tested the hypothesis that amygdalae reactivity to emotional faces in adolescents with PPCS+ is elevated compared to concussed adolescents without PPCS and healthy controls. Concussed adolescents (ages 14-18) with (PPCS+; n=23) and without PPCS (PPCS-; n=13) participated in visits at least 4 weeks post-injury. Adolescents without prior concussion served as controls (HC; n=15). All participants completed a detailed clinical battery and a common emotional face processing task that involved matching of emotional faces or shapes. Compared to HC and PPCS-, adolescents with PPCS+ had elevated depression symptoms, anhedonia, general psychological symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Contrary to our hypothesis, PPCS+ had lower amygdalae activity to the emotional faces versus shapes condition relative to HC and a trend for lower activity relative to PPCS-. There was a non-significant inverse association between anhedonia amygdalae activity in adolescents with PPCS. Results suggest that ad...
Source: NeuroImage: Clinical - Category: Radiology Source Type: research