Abstract

This study tested whether brain activity patterns evoked by affective stimuli relate to individual differences in an indicator of pre-clinical atherosclerosis: carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT). Adults (aged 30–54 years) completed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks that involved viewing three sets of affective stimuli. Two sets included facial expressions of emotion, and one set included neutral and unpleasant images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Cross-validated, multivariate and machine learning models showed that individual differences in CA-IMT were partially predicted by brain activity patterns evoked by unpleasant IAPS images, even after accounting for age, sex and known cardiovascular disease risk factors. CA-IMT was also predicted by brain activity patterns evoked by angry and fearful faces from one of the two stimulus sets of facial expressions, but this predictive association did not persist after accounting for known cardiovascular risk factors. The reliability (internal consistency) of brain activity patterns evoked by affective stimuli may have constrained their prediction of CA-IMT. Distributed brain activity patterns could comprise affective neural correlates of pre-clinical atherosclerosis; however, the interpretation of such correlates may depend on their psychometric properties, as well as the influence of other cardiovascular risk factors and specific affective cues.

中文翻译：

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情感脑模式作为心血管疾病风险的多变量神经相关性。

摘要

本研究测试了由情感刺激引起的大脑活动模式是否与临床前动脉粥样硬化指标的个体差异相关：颈动脉内膜中层厚度 (CA-IMT)。成年人（30-54 岁）完成了功能性磁共振成像 (fMRI) 任务，其中包括查看三组情感刺激。两组包括情绪的面部表情，一组包括来自国际情感图片系统（IAPS）的中性和不愉快的图像。交叉验证、多变量和机器学习模型表明，CA-IMT 的个体差异部分由不愉快的 IAPS 图像引起的大脑活动模式预测，即使在考虑了年龄、性别和已知的心血管疾病风险因素之后也是如此。CA-IMT 也可以通过来自两组面部表情刺激组之一的愤怒和恐惧面部诱发的大脑活动模式来预测，但在考虑了已知的心血管危险因素后，这种预测关联并没有持续存在。由情感刺激引起的大脑活动模式的可靠性（内部一致性）可能限制了他们对 CA-IMT 的预测。分布式大脑活动模式可能包括临床前动脉粥样硬化的情感神经相关性；然而，对这些相关性的解释可能取决于它们的心理测量特性，以及其他心血管危险因素和特定情感线索的影响。由情感刺激引起的大脑活动模式的可靠性（内部一致性）可能限制了他们对 CA-IMT 的预测。分布式大脑活动模式可能包括临床前动脉粥样硬化的情感神经相关性；然而，对这些相关性的解释可能取决于它们的心理测量特性，以及其他心血管危险因素和特定情感线索的影响。由情感刺激引起的大脑活动模式的可靠性（内部一致性）可能限制了他们对 CA-IMT 的预测。分布式大脑活动模式可能包括临床前动脉粥样硬化的情感神经相关性；然而，对这些相关性的解释可能取决于它们的心理测量特性，以及其他心血管危险因素和特定情感线索的影响。