Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study
Abstract Differences in the correlated activity of networked brain regions have been reported in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but an overreliance on null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) limits the identification of disorder-relevant relationships. In this preregistered...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35939-2 |
| _version_ | 1797801434287177728 |
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| author | Jonas L. Steinhäuser Adam R. Teed Obada Al-Zoubi René Hurlemann Gang Chen Sahib S. Khalsa |
| author_facet | Jonas L. Steinhäuser Adam R. Teed Obada Al-Zoubi René Hurlemann Gang Chen Sahib S. Khalsa |
| author_sort | Jonas L. Steinhäuser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Differences in the correlated activity of networked brain regions have been reported in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but an overreliance on null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) limits the identification of disorder-relevant relationships. In this preregistered study, we applied both a Bayesian statistical framework and NHST to the analysis of resting-state fMRI scans from females with GAD and matched healthy comparison females. Eleven a-priori hypotheses about functional connectivity (FC) were evaluated using Bayesian (multilevel model) and frequentist (t-test) inference. Reduced FC between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the posterior-mid insula (PMI) was confirmed by both statistical approaches and was associated with anxiety sensitivity. FC between the vmPFC-anterior insula, the amygdala-PMI, and the amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) region pairs did not survive multiple comparison correction using the frequentist approach. However, the Bayesian model provided evidence for these region pairs having decreased FC in the GAD group. Leveraging Bayesian modeling, we demonstrate decreased FC of the vmPFC, insula, amygdala, and dlPFC in females with GAD. Exploiting the Bayesian framework revealed FC abnormalities between region pairs excluded by the frequentist analysis and other previously undescribed regions in GAD, demonstrating the value of applying this approach to resting-state FC data in clinical investigations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:51:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d018125a86c48b2bd30be18738f566b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:51:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d018125a86c48b2bd30be18738f566b2023-06-18T11:12:18ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-06-0113111210.1038/s41598-023-35939-2Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation studyJonas L. Steinhäuser0Adam R. Teed1Obada Al-Zoubi2René Hurlemann3Gang Chen4Sahib S. Khalsa5Laureate Institute for Brain ResearchLaureate Institute for Brain ResearchLaureate Institute for Brain ResearchDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of OldenburgScientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental HealthLaureate Institute for Brain ResearchAbstract Differences in the correlated activity of networked brain regions have been reported in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but an overreliance on null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) limits the identification of disorder-relevant relationships. In this preregistered study, we applied both a Bayesian statistical framework and NHST to the analysis of resting-state fMRI scans from females with GAD and matched healthy comparison females. Eleven a-priori hypotheses about functional connectivity (FC) were evaluated using Bayesian (multilevel model) and frequentist (t-test) inference. Reduced FC between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the posterior-mid insula (PMI) was confirmed by both statistical approaches and was associated with anxiety sensitivity. FC between the vmPFC-anterior insula, the amygdala-PMI, and the amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) region pairs did not survive multiple comparison correction using the frequentist approach. However, the Bayesian model provided evidence for these region pairs having decreased FC in the GAD group. Leveraging Bayesian modeling, we demonstrate decreased FC of the vmPFC, insula, amygdala, and dlPFC in females with GAD. Exploiting the Bayesian framework revealed FC abnormalities between region pairs excluded by the frequentist analysis and other previously undescribed regions in GAD, demonstrating the value of applying this approach to resting-state FC data in clinical investigations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35939-2 |
| spellingShingle | Jonas L. Steinhäuser Adam R. Teed Obada Al-Zoubi René Hurlemann Gang Chen Sahib S. Khalsa Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study Scientific Reports |
| title | Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study |
| title_full | Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study |
| title_fullStr | Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study |
| title_short | Reduced vmPFC-insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder: a Bayesian confirmation study |
| title_sort | reduced vmpfc insula functional connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder a bayesian confirmation study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35939-2 |
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