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Amygdala functional connectivity is reduced after the cold pressor task

Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience volume 13, pages 501–518 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

The amygdala forms a crucial link between central pain and stress systems. Previous research indicates that psychological stress affects amygdala activity, but it is less clear how painful stressors influence subsequent amygdala functional connectivity. In the present study, we used pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) to investigate differences in healthy male adults’ resting-state amygdala functional connectivity following a cold pressor versus a control task, with the stressor and control conditions being conducted on different days. During the period of peak cortisol response to acute stress (approximately 15–30 min after stressor onset), participants were asked to rest for 6 min with their eyes closed during a PASL scanning sequence. The cold pressor task led to reduced resting-state functional connectivity between the amygdalae and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and this occurred irrespective of cortisol release. The stressor also induced greater inverse connectivity between the left amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region implicated in the down-regulation of amygdala responsivity. Furthermore, the degree of poststressor left amygdala decoupling with the lateral OFC varied according to self-reported pain intensity during the cold pressor task. These findings indicate that the cold pressor task alters amygdala interactions with prefrontal and ACC regions 15–30 min after the stressor, and that these altered functional connectivity patterns are related to pain perception rather than cortisol feedback.

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Author note

We thank Zara Abrams for her assistance with scanning, and Jonathan Dayka and Rico Velasco for their assistance with creating the figures. This research was supported by NIA Grant Nos. R01AG038043 and K02AG032309.

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Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David Clewett & Mara Mather

  2. Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Andrej Schoeke

  3. Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Room 351, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA

    David Clewett

Authors
  1. David Clewett
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  2. Andrej Schoeke
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  3. Mara Mather
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Correspondence to David Clewett.

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Clewett, D., Schoeke, A. & Mather, M. Amygdala functional connectivity is reduced after the cold pressor task. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 13, 501–518 (2013). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-013-0162-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-013-0162-x

Keywords

  • Amygdala
  • Stress
  • Pain
  • Functional connectivity
  • Arterial spin labeling
  • Cold pressor task