Examining the Role of Amygdala Connectivity in Depression After TBI

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Mascarenhas, Miguel
Area of Honors:
Psychology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Frank Gerard Hillary, Thesis Supervisor
Peter Andrew Arnett, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
TBI
Amygdala Connectivity
Depression
Abstract:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a condition that can occur as a result of forceful trauma to the head, which can be due to factors such as a car accident, falls, and sports injuries. While it is vital to know how a traumatic brain injury can occur, it is extremely important to know the effects of it on an individual’s functioning and emotions. As a result, this study aims to determine whether amygdala connectivity is a predictor of depression in participants with a traumatic brain injury. I hypothesized that the greater the amygdala connectivity among patients with TBI, the higher the depression scores they would exhibit. In order to determine to what extent amygdala connectivity is correlated to depression among TBI patients, this study leveraged existing resting-state functional MRI scans of 44 subjects with varying severity of TBI. The within-network connectivity from these scans were analyzed and correlated with the scores from the geriatric depression scale among participants with TBI. My hypothesis was partially supported. Although the effect for the overall TBI group was not statistically significant, the effect within the severe TBI group was and produced a medium effect size. Additionally, although the effect for the mild TBI group was only marginally significant, it was of a medium effect size and likely not statistically significant due to the small sample size. Given that more severe TBI disrupts the neural circuits of the amygdala, this may be associated with a greater potential for depressive episodes.