The hippocampus, through its mediation of fear responses is thought to play a central role in the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Prevalence of anxiety disorders remains high in older populations; however, little is known about their association with hippocampal changes in this age group. Due to differing levels of cortisol as adults age, age-related decreases in hippocampal volume, and the suggestion that age-related loss of neurogenesis results in anxiety disorders, this area requires investigation. We examined the association between hippocampal volume and anxiety disorders (social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder) in 534 older adults participating in the Enquête de Santé Psychologique-Risques, Incidence et Traitement (ESPRIT) study of late-life neuropsychiatric disorders. Anxiety disorders were diagnosed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview MINI, French version 5.00. Cross-sectional analyses adjusted for age, educational level, gender, Mini-Mental State Examination scores, National Adult Reading Test scores, whole brain volume and depression found that a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder was positively associated with larger hippocampal volume. No other anxiety disorder was significantly associated with hippocampal volume. The present study is the first to examine the association between several anxiety disorders and hippocampal volume in an older population and the results highlight the need for further research relating to the relationship between hippocampal volume and anxiety disorders in older adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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老年人焦虑症与海马体积之间的关联。


海马体通过调节恐惧反应被认为在焦虑症的发作和维持中发挥着核心作用。老年人群中焦虑症的患病率仍然很高；然而，人们对它们与这个年龄段海马变化的关系知之甚少。由于随着成年人年龄的增长，皮质醇水平有所不同，海马体积与年龄相关的减少，以及与年龄相关的神经发生丧失导致焦虑症的建议，这一领域需要进行研究。我们在参与 Enquête de Santé Psychologique-Risques, Incidence et Traitement ( ESPRIT）对晚年神经精神疾病的研究。使用迷你国际神经精神病学访谈 MINI（法语版本 5.00）诊断焦虑症。根据年龄、教育水平、性别、简易精神状态检查分数、全国成人阅读测试分数、全脑体积和抑郁程度进行调整后的横断面分析发现，广泛性焦虑症的诊断与较大的海马体积呈正相关。没有其他焦虑症与海马体积显着相关。本研究首次探讨了老年人中几种焦虑症与海马体积之间的关系，结果强调需要进一步研究老年人海马体积与焦虑症之间的关系。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。