TY - JOUR
T1 - Sensation seeking correlates with increased white matter integrity of structures associated with visuospatial processing in healthy adults
AU - Escelsior, Andrea
AU - Inuggi, Alberto
AU - Amadeo, Maria Bianca
AU - Engel-Yeger, Batya
AU - Trabucco, Alice
AU - Esposito, Davide
AU - Campus, Claudio
AU - Bovio, Anna
AU - Comparini, Sara
AU - Pereira da Silva, Beatriz
AU - Serafini, Gianluca
AU - Gori, Monica
AU - Amore, Mario
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Escelsior, Inuggi, Amadeo, Engel-Yeger, Trabucco, Esposito, Campus, Bovio, Comparini, Pereira da Silva, Serafini, Gori and Amore.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Introduction: The ability to process sensory information is an essential adaptive function, and hyper- or hypo-sensitive maladaptive profiles of responses to environmental stimuli generate sensory processing disorders linked to cognitive, affective, and behavioral alterations. Consequently, assessing sensory processing profiles might help research the vulnerability and resilience to mental disorders. The research on neuroradiological correlates of the sensory processing profiles is mainly limited to the young-age population or neurodevelopmental disorders. So, this study aims to examine the structural MRI correlates of sensory profiles in a sample of typically developed adults. Methods: We investigated structural cortical thickness (CT) and white matter integrity, through Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), correlates of Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) questionnaire subscales in 57 typical developing subjects (34F; mean age: 32.7 ± 9.3). Results: We found significant results only for the sensation seeking (STS) subscale. Positive and negative correlations emerged with fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) in anterior thalamic radiation, optic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, corpus callosum, and the cingulum bundle. No correlation between sensation seeking and whole brain cortical thickness was found. Discussion: Overall, our results suggest a positive correlation between sensation seeking and higher white matter structural integrity in those tracts mainly involved in visuospatial processing but no correlation with gray matter structure. The enhanced structural integrity associated with sensation seeking may reflect a neurobiological substrate linked to active research of sensory stimuli and resilience to major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
AB - Introduction: The ability to process sensory information is an essential adaptive function, and hyper- or hypo-sensitive maladaptive profiles of responses to environmental stimuli generate sensory processing disorders linked to cognitive, affective, and behavioral alterations. Consequently, assessing sensory processing profiles might help research the vulnerability and resilience to mental disorders. The research on neuroradiological correlates of the sensory processing profiles is mainly limited to the young-age population or neurodevelopmental disorders. So, this study aims to examine the structural MRI correlates of sensory profiles in a sample of typically developed adults. Methods: We investigated structural cortical thickness (CT) and white matter integrity, through Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), correlates of Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) questionnaire subscales in 57 typical developing subjects (34F; mean age: 32.7 ± 9.3). Results: We found significant results only for the sensation seeking (STS) subscale. Positive and negative correlations emerged with fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) in anterior thalamic radiation, optic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, corpus callosum, and the cingulum bundle. No correlation between sensation seeking and whole brain cortical thickness was found. Discussion: Overall, our results suggest a positive correlation between sensation seeking and higher white matter structural integrity in those tracts mainly involved in visuospatial processing but no correlation with gray matter structure. The enhanced structural integrity associated with sensation seeking may reflect a neurobiological substrate linked to active research of sensory stimuli and resilience to major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
KW - healthy adults
KW - mental disorders
KW - neuroimaging
KW - resilience factors
KW - sensation seeking
KW - sensory profile
KW - visuospatial processing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85176290421&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnins.2023.1267700
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2023.1267700
M3 - Article
C2 - 37954876
AN - SCOPUS:85176290421
SN - 1662-4548
VL - 17
JO - Frontiers in Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience
M1 - 1267700
ER -