E. Kale Edmiston

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that individuals at risk for schizophrenia exhibit structural and functional brain abnormalities. However, few studies focus on resting state baseline activity in individuals with genetic high-risk for schizophrenia (HR). We examined cerebral spontaneous neural activity in HR by measuring the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance signal during resting state. Using a 3T MRI scanner, 28 non-psychotic young adult participants with at least one parent with schizophrenia and 44 matched unrelated healthy comparison subjects (HC) were scanned during the resting-state. The ALFF of the BOLD signal for each participant was calculated, and these values were then compared between-groups using voxel-based analysis of the ALFF maps. The HR group showed significantly increased ALFF compared to the HC group in the striatum, including the left caudate nucleus extending to th...

Facial cues contain important information for guiding social interactions, but not all humans are equally expert at face processing. A number of factors, both genetic and environmental, contribute to differences in face-processing ability. For example, both heritable individual differences in temperament and exposure to childhood maltreatment are associated with alterations in face processing ability and social function. Understanding the neural correlates of alterations in face-processing ability can provide insights into how genetic and environmental risk factors impair social functioning. We examined the association between childhood maltreatment and blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal as measured in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a group of young adults with an inhibited temperament. We hypothesized that childhood maltreatment exposure would correlate positively with BOLD signal in regions subserving face processing and novelty detection during viewing of novel compared to familiar faces. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) degree of exposure to childhood maltreatment was positively correlated with BOLD signal in the bilateral fusiform gyri and the left hippocampus. These fMRI findings suggest that young adults with an inhibited temperament and a history of maltreatment may be particularly vulnerable to neural alterations. These differences could be related to a heightened sensitivity to potential threat-for example, from new people-and may contribute to both the altered social functioning and increased incidence of anxiety disorders in these individuals.