Socioeconomic status, amygdala reactivity, and selective attention to threat

摘要: In this study, a pathway through which low socioeconomic status (SES) might heighten risk for disorders of mood and affect via social information-processing bias is investigated. Here, we examined whether measures covary with attentional toward threat greater threat-related amygdala reactivity in sample healthy community volunteers. Participants were middle-aged men women (30 – 55, M = 42.1 years; 41% female, 87% white) who participated the second Adult Health Behavior project (AHAB II). SES indices included objective (individuals’ education income, parental education) subjective (individuals rated themselves their parents on MacArthur Scale Subjective Social Status) indicators. Participants’ was assessed using visual probe-detection task, utilizing angry, fearful, happy, neutral facial expressions from Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces stimulus set. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) employed to investigate reactivity, stimuli derived Network Face Correlational analyses failed show any relationship between affective stimuli. Linear regression accounting age, race, sex showed lower (β -.116, SE .056, p .041) composite (fear > shapes: β -.142, .059, .018; fear neutral: -.122, .058, .037) associated higher left fearful No significant relationships detected remaining indicators, findings limited only faces. Thus, our prediction an inverse association standing heightened responses threatening largely unsupported by results. Future investigations should include participants representing broader range ethnicity, order more accurately characterize individuals’ threat. Despite shortcomings current these provide initial (albeit limited) evidence that neurobiological may be SES.