Priya Santhanam1, Zhihao Li1,
Longchuan Li1, Claire Coles2, Mary Ellen Lynch2,
Xiaoping Hu1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States;
2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory
University
As
prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is known to affect emotional regulation, and
since we have previously shown a functional disconnect in the PCE group
between regions responsible for such regulation (VMPFC: ventral medial
prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala), the present study examined the
effect of PCE on structural connectivity between the VMPFC and amygdala.
Using probabilistic tractography to identify tracts, results showed
significantly lower tract volume and FA along the tracts connecting the VMPFC
and left amygdala in the PCE group versus controls. This reduced structural
integrity may affect functional connectivity and thus emotional regulation in
individuals with PCE.