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Differences in cortical thinning across development among individuals with and without anxiety disorders
Author(s) -
Feurer Cope,
Suor Jennifer H.,
Jimmy Jagan,
Klumpp Heide,
Monk Christopher S.,
Phan K. Luan,
Burkhouse Katie L.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.23096
Subject(s) - ventromedial prefrontal cortex , psychology , anxiety , insula , psychopathology , anterior cingulate cortex , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , prefrontal cortex , neuroscience , psychiatry , cognition
Background Anxiety is associated with aberrant patterns of cortical thickness in regions implicated in emotion regulation. However, few studies have examined cortical thickness differences between individuals with anxiety and healthy controls (HCs) across development, particularly during childhood when cortical thinning begins and anxiety risk increases. A better understanding of age‐related changes in cortical thickness patterns among anxious individuals is essential to develop plausible targets for early identification. Methods The current study examined how age impacted differences in cortical thickness patterns between HCs and anxious individuals. Participants included 233 individuals (ages 7–35) with a current anxiety disorder ( n = 149) or no lifetime history of psychopathology ( n = 84). Cortical thickness of regions that are implicated in emotion regulation (ventromedial prefrontal cortex [vmPFC], rostral anterior cingulate [rACC], and insula) were assessed. Results All regions showed significant thinning with age, except left rACC and right insula. However, rates of thinning differed among anxious and HC participants, with anxious participants demonstrating slower rates of right vmPFC thinning. Regions of significance analyses indicated that anxious, relative to HC, participants exhibited thinner right vmPFC before age 11, but thicker right vmPFC after age 24. Conclusions Current findings suggest that anxious individuals do not demonstrate normative right vmPFC cortical thinning, which may lead them to exhibit both thinner vmPFC in middle childhood and thicker vmPFC in adulthood compared with HCs. These findings may provide plausible targets for identification of anxiety risk that differ based on developmental stage.