Elevated amygdala activity in youth with familial risk for depression: a potential marker of low resilience

Abstract Background Amygdala overactivity has been frequently observed in patients with depression, as well as in non-depressed relatives of depressed patients. A remaining question is whether elevated amygdala activity in those with familial risk for depression is related to the presence of subthreshold symptoms, or to a trait-level vulnerability for illness. Methods To examine this question, functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected in non-depressed young adults with (FH+, n = 27) or without (FH-, n = 45) a first-degree relative with a history of depression, while they viewed images of “looming” or withdrawing objects (faces and cars) that varied in salience by virtue of their apparent proximity to the subject. Activation of the amygdala and two other regions known to exhibit responses to looming stimuli, the dorsal intraparietal sulcus and ventral premotor cortex, were measured, as well as levels of resilience, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Results Compared to the FH- group, the FH+ group exhibited significantly greater responses of the left and right amygdala to looming face stimuli. Moreover, amygdala responses in the FH+ group were negatively correlated with levels of resilience and unrelated to levels of subthreshold symptoms. Conclusions These findings indicate that elevated amygdala activity in non-depressed youth with a familial history of depression is more closely linked to poor resilience than to current symptom state.