Emotion regulation in self-injurious youth: A tale of two circuits
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Two emotion regulation (ER) networks, the amygdala and ventral striatum (VS) circuits underpin defensive and reward processes related to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Youth who engaged in non-suicidal self-injury behavior (NSSIB) and healthy controls either watched images passively (passive condition) or increased their positive affect during positive/neutral images and decreased their negative affect during negative and self-harm images (regulate condition) in the scanner. NSSI youth showed higher amygdala to precuneus and inferior parietal lobe (IPL) connectivity while regulating emotions during self-harm images, a pattern which was associated with higher self-injury frequency. NSSI youth showed higher VS connectivity to the fusiform gyrus and parahippocampus while regulating emotions elicited by self-harm and positive images, which was in turn linked to higher self-harm frequency and relief after NSSI. Higher amygdala-precuneus and IPL connectivity in NSSI youth suggest greater self-identification with, or difficulty regulating negative affect elicited by, self-injury images. High VS-fusiform gyrus and parahippocampus connectivity during positive and self-harm images implies reward anomalies and/or greater effort to regulate positive affect. VS circuit's’ links to relief and NSSIB frequency suggest VS reward-based learning as biomarker of NSSIB endurance. We discovered ER mechanisms in adolescents with NSSIB and promising targets for effective NSSIB treatment.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 111944 |
| Journal | Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging |
| Volume | 347 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| PubMed | 39787881 |
|---|---|
| ORCID | /0000-0002-7278-5711/work/184006414 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Amygdala, Emotion regulation, Functional connectivity, Relief, Self-harm, Self-injury, Ventral striatum