Sex Differences in Emotion-related Cognitive Processes in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Control Subjects

肠易激综合征及健康人群在情绪相关认知过程的性别差异

• UCLA medicine school ,National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH)

Contents

Abstract

Background /Aims
Methods
Results
Conclusions

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1.0.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1.0 Participants
2.2.0 Questionnaires
2.3.0 fMRI Data Acquisition
2.4.0 fMRI Imaging Task:Faces Paradigm
2.5.0 Data Analysis:Image Processing and Data Analysis

3.0.0 Results

Supplementary Material

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

References

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Figures and Tables

笔记

Introduction

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• 已有研究：

1. In response to gut (and disease) related stimuli, IBS subjects show sex-related differences in brain activation and functional connectivity.
2. Emotion-related stimuli (including faces, images, words, odors, music) female subjects generally show greater brain activation related to emotions of sadness, disgust and unpleasantness, whereas men demonstrate greater neural responses to emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt.
3. Differences in brain responses to the viewing of faces
   expressing different emotions have been used to measure differences in the engagement of emotion-related brain circuits and their cortical modulation , as well as disease and sex-related differences in these circuits.Even though differences in amygdala responsiveness and cortical modulation of such responses when viewing fear related faces have been demonstrated, this paradigm is not associated with changes in subjective emotions or autonomic responses.

• The aim of the current study was to identify disease（IBS） and sex related differences in brain responses to an emotion recognition paradigm unrelated to gastrointestinal (GI) stimuli or symptoms与肠道刺激和症状无关的情绪识别范式.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Questionnaires
UCLA Bowel Symptom Questionnaire (BSQ)、HAD Anxiety measure、HAD Depression measure
fMRI Imaging Task:Faces Paradigm

1. During matching emotions (ME), subjects viewed a target face depicting an angry or fearful expression and were asked to select one of two other faces that expressed the same emotion.
2. During matching form (MF), a condition controlling for the sensorymotor aspects of the ME task, subjects viewed a target circular shape (approximately the same size as a human face) and were asked to select one of two other shapes that best matched the target.

Results

1. During the viewing of negative faces, male subjects showed greater activation compared to females in subregions亚区 of the PFC (mPFC, left dlPFC), of the cingulate cortex扣带回 (including PCC, sgACC, and aMCC,) and of the INS (mINS, pINS), as well as the NACC伏隔核 and the HIPP. Female subjects showed greater activity compared to males in the right dlPFC背外侧前额叶 and PAG while viewing negative faces (Figure 2b).
   
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2. Interaction contrasts examining the differences between males and females related to disease [(Male IBS-Female IBS) – (Male HC-Female HC)] indicated greater differences in brain responses at the set level between male and female IBS subjects as opposed to male and female HCs for the response of right amygdala, bilateral insula, bilateral pregenual cingulate cortex, and right mPFC
   
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3. • IBS subjects (N=20) compared to female IBS (N=27) showed greater activation in several subregions of the PFC (mPFC, dlPFC), ACC (pACC, sgACC, aMCC),PCC, INS subregions (mINS, pINS), as well as HIPP, HYPO and NACC（a）

• Male IBS subjects compared to male HCs showed greater activation in the AMYG(b)
• No significant differences were seen for female IBS subjects compared to female HCs(c)
• Female HCs compared to male HCs (Table 4, Figure 4c) showed greater activation in the cognitive modulatory regions of the dlPFC and the PAG.(d)

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4. Effective connectivity有效性连接 in the stress related cortical-affective circuitry皮质-情感回路 during the matched emotions versus the matched forms contrast (ME-MF)

   
   
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小结

The main findings of the current study were:

1. Functional activity during the viewing of emotional faces did not differ when IBS subjects as a group were compared to HCs.

2. Male subjects showed greater functional activations in PFC, INS, NACC and HIPP, than female subjects regardless of disease group.
3. Male IBS subjects compared to female IBS showed greater activations in subregions of the PFC, ACC, and INS, as well as the PCC, HIPP, HYPO and NACC. Male IBS subjects showed greater activations in the AMYG compared to male HCs.
4. Effective connectivity analyses identified major sex and disease related differences within the emotional arousal circuit, and in the modulatory influences of prefrontal and hippocampal regions on this circuitry.

• These findings for the first time demonstrate differential brain activity and connectivity of male IBS compared to female IBS and male HCs to a disease unrelated stimulus.