Reduced brain volume and physiological responsivity explain dysregulated emotional arousal in severe traumatic brain injury
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1
University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia
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2
Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Aims: Emotional responsivity and arousal deficits are well-documented in adults with a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Alpha power and skin conductance levels (SCL) may provide measures of these deficits. Moreover, atrophy in the insula and amygdala may contribute to dysregulated arousal, given their established role in regulating arousal and emotional responses. This study aimed to elucidate the electrophysiological correlates of dyregulated emotional arousal and responsivity after severe TBI. Method: Nineteen adults (15 males; mean age 44.89; mean education 13.47 years) with a severe TBI and 19 matched controls (15 males; mean age 43.95; mean education 14.79 years) (p > 0.05) participated. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan established bilateral insulae and amygdale volumes. Mean EEG alpha power and SCLs were recorded simultaneously across four, 2 minute conditions: eyes-closed pre-task baseline, view neutral face, happy face and angry face. Results: Scalp-wide alpha suppression occurred from pre-task baseline to the face-viewing conditions (p < .001), however, this was diminished in TBI (p = .04). TBI participants also exhibited elevated alpha power in the hemisphere means, in contrast to controls’ midline dominance (all p < .01), together with a trend towards lower SCL (p = .051). Brain volume was significantly reduced in most structures in the TBI group; greater left insula and right amygdala volumes both correlated positively with alpha power, and alpha suppression. Conclusions: The present findings further bolster alpha power’s role as indexing arousal dyregulation in TBI. Reduced grey matter volume in pertinent brain structures may contribute to disturbances in arousal after TBI.
Keywords:
emotion,
Arousal,
Alpha power,
skin conductance level,
insula volume,
amygdala volume,
Traumatic brain injury (TBI),
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Conference:
ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Wollongong, Australia, 20 Nov - 22 Nov, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Emotion
Citation:
Fisher
A,
Rushby
JA,
McDonald
S,
Parks
N and
Piguet
O
(2013). Reduced brain volume and physiological responsivity explain dysregulated emotional arousal in severe traumatic brain injury.
Conference Abstract:
ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.213.00007
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Received:
05 Nov 2013;
Published Online:
05 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Alana Fisher, University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, Australia, alana.fisher@unsw.edu.au