Brief Communication abstract
Nature Neuroscience 11, 1381 - 1382 (2008)
Published online: 2 November 2008 | doi:10.1038/nn.2222
Dopamine in amygdala gates limbic processing of aversive stimuli in humans
Thorsten Kienast1, Ahmad R Hariri2, Florian Schlagenhauf1, Jana Wrase1, Philipp Sterzer1, Hans Georg Buchholz3, Michael N Smolka4, Gerhard Gründer5, Paul Cumming6, Yoshitaka Kumakura7, Peter Bartenstein6, Raymond J Dolan8 & Andreas Heinz1
Dopamine is released under stress and modulates processing of aversive stimuli. We found that dopamine storage capacity in human amygdala, measured with 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA positron emission tomography, was positively correlated with functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level–dependent signal changes in amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex that were evoked by aversive stimuli. Furthermore, functional connectivity between these two regions was inversely related to trait anxiety. Our results suggest that individual dopamine storage capacity in amygdala subserves modulation of emotional processing in amygdala and dorsal cingulate, thereby contributing to individual differences in anxious temperament.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Langenbeck Strasse 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
- Section of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Würzburger Strasse 35, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
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Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Campus Gro
hadern, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. - Department of Nuclear Medicine and Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Tokyo University, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan.
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
Correspondence to: Andreas Heinz1 e-mail: andreas.heinz@charite.de
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