Family Imaging Study of Children at Risk for Anxiety: The proposed family study will employ functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods to investigate the neural substrates of anxiety disorders in parents and their offspring as well as vulnerability factors that confer increased risk to develop anxiety disorders. Via a concurrently funded project, we enjoy access to the unique longitudinally followed Massachusetts General Hospital sample of parents and their adolescent offspring (N=446) at risk for panic disorder (PD), comparison offspring at risk for depression (MD), and children without vulnerability to mood or anxiety disorders. We propose to use established fMRI cognitive behavioral probes to test specific hypotheses regarding differences in amygdalo-frontal function related to behavioral inhibition (Bl) and parental panic disorder as factors that confer risk to develop anxiety disorders in adolescent offspring. In addition, we will investigate pathophysiology by examining differences in amygdalo-frontal function between adolescents with and without anxiety disorders while controlling for Bl and parental diagnosis. Finally, we will test for familial associations in amygdalo-frontal function between parents and their offspring. The proposed research promises to advance knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders from adolescence to adulthood and to elucidate the neural basis of risk factors for developing anxiety disorders, including behavioral inhibition and parental diagnosis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH074848-04
Application #
7448441
Study Section
Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section (CPDD)
Program Officer
Garvey, Marjorie A
Project Start
2005-09-20
Project End
2010-06-30
Budget Start
2008-07-01
Budget End
2009-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$462,716
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
073130411
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02199
Schwartz, C E; Kunwar, P S; Hirshfeld-Becker, D R et al. (2015) Behavioral inhibition in childhood predicts smaller hippocampal volume in adolescent offspring of parents with panic disorder. Transl Psychiatry 5:e605
Schwartz, C E; Kunwar, P S; Greve, D N et al. (2012) A phenotype of early infancy predicts reactivity of the amygdala in male adults. Mol Psychiatry 17:1042-50
Evans, Karleyton C; Simon, Naomi M; Dougherty, Darin D et al. (2009) A PET study of tiagabine treatment implicates ventral medial prefrontal cortex in generalized social anxiety disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 34:390-8
Evans, Karleyton C; Wright, Christopher I; Wedig, Michelle M et al. (2008) A functional MRI study of amygdala responses to angry schematic faces in social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 25:496-505
Candrian, Michele; Schwartz, Faye; Farabaugh, Amy et al. (2008) Personality disorders and perceived stress in major depressive disorder. Psychiatry Res 160:184-91