Browsing by Subject "self-injury"

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    Functional and Structural Connectivity of Limbic and Interpersonally Relevant Regions in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
    (2019-08) Westlund Schreiner, Melinda
    Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) commonly begins in adolescence and is associated with an array of negative outcomes including suicide. Research has only begun to explore the neurobiological mechanisms associated with this behavior, most often among adults with borderline personality disorder. However, research is urgently needed to study NSSI among adolescents in order to understand potential neurobiological correlates. Applications of this knowledge would potentially be used to identify neurobiologically informed intervention strategies targeting these deficits and restore healthy neurodevelopmental trajectories. The present study implemented a multi-modal approach to understanding neural functioning by examining structural and functional connectivity in adolescents with versus without NSSI. Given previous clinical findings on NSSI, this study focused on brain regions implicated in negative affect and interpersonal sensitivity, the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) respectively. Overall, the NSSI group showed widespread differences in both functional and structural connectivity compared to controls. These patterns were suggestive of possible influence of negative affect on emotional memory, planning of motor movements, and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, the NSSI group showed impairments in structural connectivity consistent with those seen in major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. Given the paucity of neurobiological research on NSSI, this study represents an important first step in furthering the understanding of this behavior in adolescents and will aid in generating hypotheses for future work.
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    Rett Syndrome and HPA Axis Function: A Preliminary Investigation of Salivary Cortisol
    (2014-03) Lacoste, Ameante
    Rett syndrome (RTT) affects mostly females and results from a mutated gene (MECP2), which disrupts the production of a DNA binding protein called MeCP2 critical for neural development. Females with RTT have profound developmental disabilities including communicative and motor impairments and problems related to anxiety and arousal as well as difficulties with sleep, mood, and self-injurious behavior (SIB). It is plausible that perturbations to the neuroendocrine stress-response system (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis) may be associated with the reported behavioral disturbances in RTT. One approach to evaluating HPA axis integrity involves testing the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol. In this study, following informed consent, saliva was collected during 2 days (at 4 time points: first wake, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, bedtime) from 22 females with RTT (M age = 13 yrs; 4-27). A questionnaire evaluating participant's sleep, mood, and SIB was completed by caregivers. Eighty percent of the sample had abnormal diurnal patterns and significant correlations were found between abnormal cortisol patterns and parent-reported concerns for SIB and mood. Results suggest that blunted cortisol production is related to HPA dysfunction and increased behavioral concerns.