Shelton, C. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Investigating Neural Correlates of Emotional Regulation as a Function of Age, Race, and Socioeconomic Status

Older adults often show improved emotional regulation with age, a phenomenon known as the aging paradox. This age-related increase in emotional regulation capacity is attributed to enhanced prefrontal cortex control over amygdala reactivity. However, because racial discrimination and economic disadvantage cause chronic stress, typical age-related neural associations may be altered in marginalized groups. Using task-functional MRI data from 8,711 UK Biobank participants aged 50-78, we investigated whether age-related associations in emotion-related brain function, specifically amygdala activation and vmPFC-amygdala connectivity, varied across racial and socioeconomic status (SES) groups. We found that older age was associated with decreased amygdala activation, which is consistent with improved emotional regulation. Yet, lower socioeconomic status was associated with increased amygdala activation, suggesting heightened stress-related reactivity. No significant age-related effects on vmPFC-amygdala connectivity were observed at the population level. Black participants showed a stronger age-related decline in functional connectivity compared to other racial groups. These findings call for more inclusive and diverse neuroimaging studies to better understand brain health across marginalized groups.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

The neuroimaging correlates of depression established across six large-scale datasets

Neuroimaging data offers noninvasive insights into the structural and functional organization of the brain and is therefore commonly used to study the neuroimaging correlates of depression. To date, a substantial body of literature has suggested reduced size of subcortical regions and abnormal functional connectivity in frontal and default mode networks linked to depression. However, recent meta analyses have failed to identify significant converging correlates of depression across the literature such that a conclusive mapping of the neuroimaging correlates of depression remains elusive. Here we leveraged 23,417 participants across six datasets to comprehensively establish the neuroimaging correlates of depression. We found reductions in gray matter volume/ cortical surface area associated with depression in the frontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and insula, confirming prior studies showing the importance of prefrontal and default mode regions in depression. Our findings demonstrate multiple surprising results, including a lack of depression correlates in subcortical brain regions, significant depression correlates in somatomotor and visual regions, and limited functional connectivity findings. Overall, these results shed new light on key brain regions involved in the pathophysiology of depression, updating our understanding of the neuroimaging correlates of depression. We anticipate that these insights will inform further research into the role of sensorimotor and visual regions in depression and into the impact of heterogeneity on functional connectivity correlates of depression.

neuroscience↗