Substantial evidence implicates the amygdala and related structures in the processing of negative emotions. Furthermore, neuroimaging evidence suggests that variations in amygdala volumes are related to trait-like individual differences in neuroticism/negative emotionality, although many questions remain about the nature of such associations. We conducted planned tests of the directional prediction that dispositional negative emotionality measured at 10–17 years using parent and youth ratings on the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) would predict larger volumes of the amygdala in adulthood and conducted exploratory tests of associations with other regions implicated in emotion processing. Participants were 433 twins strategically selected for neuroimaging during wave 2 from wave 1 of the Tennessee Twins Study (TTS) by oversampling on internalizing and/or externalizing psychopathology risk. Controlling for age, sex, race-ethnicity, handedness, scanner, and total brain volume, youth-rated negative emotionality positively predicted bilateral amygdala volumes after correction for multiple testing. Each unit difference of one standard deviation (SD) in negative emotionality was associated with a .12 SD unit difference in larger volumes of both amygdalae. Parent-rated negative emotionality predicted greater thickness of the left caudal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (β = 0.28). Associations of brain structure with negative emotionality were not moderated by sex. These results are striking because dispositions assessed at 10–17 years of age were predictive of grey matter volumes measured 12–13 years later in adulthood. Future longitudinal studies should examine the timing of amygdala/cingulate associations with dispositional negative emotionality to determine when these associations emerge during development.

大量证据表明杏仁核和相关结构参与负面情绪的处理。此外，神经影像学证据表明，杏仁核体积的变化与神经质/消极情绪的特征样个体差异有关，尽管关于这种关联的性质仍然存在许多问题。我们进行了定向预测测试，即使用儿童和青少年倾向量表 (CADS) 上的父母和青少年评分在 10-17 岁时测量的倾向性负面情绪将预测成年期杏仁核的体积更大，并进行了与其他因素关联的探索性测试。与情绪处理有关的区域。参与者是田纳西双胞胎研究 (TTS) 第一波第二波期间通过对内化和/或外化精神病理学风险进行过采样而战略性选择的 433 名双胞胎进行神经影像学检查。控制年龄、性别、种族、惯用手、扫描仪和大脑总体积后，青少年评定的负面情绪在多次测试校正后可以正向预测双侧杏仁核体积。负性情绪中每个标准差 (SD) 的单位差异与两个杏仁核体积的 0.12 SD 单位差异相关。父母评价的负面情绪预示着左尾/背侧前扣带皮层的厚度更大（β = 0.28）。大脑结构与消极情绪的关联不受性别的调节。这些结果令人震惊，因为 10-17 岁时评估的性格特征可以预测 12-13 年后成年期测量的灰质体积。未来的纵向研究应该检查杏仁核/扣带回与倾向性负面情绪关联的时间，以确定这些关联在发育过程中何时出现。