Effect of childhood physical abuse on social anxiety is mediated via reduced frontal lobe and amygdala-hippocampus complex volume in adult clinical high-risk subjects

Salokangas, R. K. R.; Hietala, J.; Armio, R. L.; Laurikainen, H.; From, T.; Borgwardt, S.; Riecher-Rossler, A.; Brambilla, P.; Bonivento, C.; Meisenzahl, E.; Schultze-Lutter, F.; Haidl, T.; Ruhrmann, S.; Upthegrove, R.; Wood, S. J.; Pantelis, C.; Kambeitz-Ilankovic, L.; Ruef, A.; Dwyer, D. B.; Kambeitz, J. und Koutsouleris, N. (2021): Effect of childhood physical abuse on social anxiety is mediated via reduced frontal lobe and amygdala-hippocampus complex volume in adult clinical high-risk subjects. In: Schizophrenia Research, Bd. 227: S. 101-109

Abstract

Background: Childhood adverse experiences (CAE) are associated with clinical psychiatric disorders and symptoms, and with volumetric abnormalities in the amygdala-hippocampus complex (AmHiC) and frontal lobe (FroL) in adulthood. Aim: To study whether CAE are associated with reduced AmHiC and FroL and whether these structures mediate the effect of CAE on social anxiety and depression. Method: In seven European centres, 374 patients with recent onset of psychosis (n = 127), clinical high-risk to psychosis (n = 119) or recent onset of depression (n = 128) were scanned with MRI and their FroL and AmHiC volumes were measured. They all completed self-report scales for assessment of CAE, social anxiety and depression. Results: Of the CAE domains, physical abuse was associated specifically with reduced grey and white matter volumes of FroL and AmHiC in psychotic and high-risk patients. After controlling intracranial volume, PhyAb associated significantly with FroL and its grey matter volume in high-risk patients only. In mediation analyses, the effect of physical abuse on social anxiety was mediated via reduced FroL grey mater volume in high-risk patients. In them, when the effects of AmHiC and depression were controlled, the effect of physical abuse on social anxiety was mediated via FroL grey matter volume reduction. Conclusions: Childhood physical abuse is associated with reduced frontal lobe and amygdala-hippocampus complex volume in adult subjects with psychotic symptoms. Reduced frontal lobe and amygdala-hippocampus complex volume mediate the effect of physical abuse on social anxiety in high-risk patients. The effect of physical abuse on depression-independent social anxiety is mediated via reduced frontal lobe. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0920-9964
• Sprache: Englisch