多巴胺是大脑中的一种神经递质。科学家们发现，个体对负面情绪线索的不同反应主要基于大脑中多巴胺的储存数量，新成果发表在日前在线出版的《自然—神经科学》期刊上，将有助于解释为什么不同的人以不同的方式应对压力或情感事件。
大脑扁桃体是负责处理情感的区域。Andreas Heinz和同事测量了扁桃体中的多巴胺储存量，观察到多巴胺储存量与情感处理方式间的关系。他们发现，当注视令人不快的图片时，拥有高水平多巴胺储存量的个体在其大脑的扁桃体和前扣带皮层区域有更活跃的活动。而且，与扁桃体和前扣带皮层相关的功能与受试者的标准焦虑测试成绩成反比关系。
新工作有助于解释多巴胺储存量的不同为何导致个体气质的差异，特别是当它们与人们压力或情绪事件处理相关时。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature Neuroscience，doi:10.1038/nn.2222，Thorsten Kienast，Andreas Heinz
Dopamine in amygdala gates limbic processing of aversive stimuli in humans
Thorsten Kienast1, Ahmad R Hariri2, Florian Schlagenhauf1, Jana Wrase1, Philipp Sterzer1, Hans Georg Buchholz3, Michael N Smolka4, Gerhard Gründer5, Paul Cumming6, Yoshitaka Kumakura7, Peter Bartenstein6, Raymond J Dolan8 & Andreas Heinz1
Dopamine is released under stress and modulates processing of aversive stimuli. We found that dopamine storage capacity in human amygdala, measured with 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA positron emission tomography, was positively correlated with functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level–dependent signal changes in amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex that were evoked by aversive stimuli. Furthermore, functional connectivity between these two regions was inversely related to trait anxiety. Our results suggest that individual dopamine storage capacity in amygdala subserves modulation of emotional processing in amygdala and dorsal cingulate, thereby contributing to individual differences in anxious temperament.
1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
3 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Langenbeck Strasse 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
4 Section of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universit?t Dresden, Würzburger Strasse 35, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
5 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
6 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Campus Grohadern, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
7 Department of Nuclear Medicine and Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Tokyo University, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan.
8 Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
