A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia
The objective of this study was to analyze the neurostructural abnormalities of brain areas responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of fear in small animal phobia by comparing gray matter volume (GMV) in individuals with phobia and non-fearful controls. Structural magnetic resonance imaging...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/1/119 |
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| author | Francisco Rivero Rosario J. Marrero Teresa Olivares Wenceslao Peñate Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez Juan Manuel Bethencourt Ascensión Fumero |
| author_facet | Francisco Rivero Rosario J. Marrero Teresa Olivares Wenceslao Peñate Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez Juan Manuel Bethencourt Ascensión Fumero |
| author_sort | Francisco Rivero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The objective of this study was to analyze the neurostructural abnormalities of brain areas responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of fear in small animal phobia by comparing gray matter volume (GMV) in individuals with phobia and non-fearful controls. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was obtained from 62 adults (79% female) assigned to one of two groups: 31 were diagnosed with small animal phobia and 31 were non-fearful controls. To investigate structural alterations, a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted to compare the GMV of the brain areas involved in fear between both groups. The results indicated that individuals with a small animal specific phobia showed smaller GMV in cortical regions, such as the orbitofrontal (OFC) and medial frontal cortex, and greater GMV in the putamen than non-fearful controls. These brain areas are responsible for avoidant behavior (putamen) and emotional regulation processes or inhibitory control (prefrontal cortex (PFC)), which might suggest a greater vulnerability of phobic individuals to acquiring non-adaptive conditioned responses and emotional dysregulation. The findings provide preliminary support for the involvement of structural deficits in OFC and medial frontal cortex in phobia, contributing to clarify the neurobiological substrates for phobias. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:57:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec3b2e66b35241f59de7535daf8a283b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:57:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec3b2e66b35241f59de7535daf8a283b2023-11-30T23:08:17ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-12-0113111910.3390/life13010119A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific PhobiaFrancisco Rivero0Rosario J. Marrero1Teresa Olivares2Wenceslao Peñate3Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez4Juan Manuel Bethencourt5Ascensión Fumero6Departamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainFundación Canaria Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Canarias (FIISC), 38109 El Rosario, Tenerife, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainThe objective of this study was to analyze the neurostructural abnormalities of brain areas responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of fear in small animal phobia by comparing gray matter volume (GMV) in individuals with phobia and non-fearful controls. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was obtained from 62 adults (79% female) assigned to one of two groups: 31 were diagnosed with small animal phobia and 31 were non-fearful controls. To investigate structural alterations, a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted to compare the GMV of the brain areas involved in fear between both groups. The results indicated that individuals with a small animal specific phobia showed smaller GMV in cortical regions, such as the orbitofrontal (OFC) and medial frontal cortex, and greater GMV in the putamen than non-fearful controls. These brain areas are responsible for avoidant behavior (putamen) and emotional regulation processes or inhibitory control (prefrontal cortex (PFC)), which might suggest a greater vulnerability of phobic individuals to acquiring non-adaptive conditioned responses and emotional dysregulation. The findings provide preliminary support for the involvement of structural deficits in OFC and medial frontal cortex in phobia, contributing to clarify the neurobiological substrates for phobias.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/1/119MRIprefrontal areasputamengray matter volumespecific phobia |
| spellingShingle | Francisco Rivero Rosario J. Marrero Teresa Olivares Wenceslao Peñate Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez Juan Manuel Bethencourt Ascensión Fumero A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia Life MRI prefrontal areas putamen gray matter volume specific phobia |
| title | A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia |
| title_full | A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia |
| title_fullStr | A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia |
| title_short | A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Gray Matter in Specific Phobia |
| title_sort | voxel based morphometric study of gray matter in specific phobia |
| topic | MRI prefrontal areas putamen gray matter volume specific phobia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/1/119 |
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