Resumen

MARINO, Julián et al. Mediation of the uncinate fascicle between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex volume. Neuropsicologia Latinoamericana [online]. 2015, vol.7, n.2, pp. 34-41. ISSN 2075-9479.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5579/rnl.2015.0242.

The amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex are brain structures that are closely related in emotional processing. The uncinate fasciculus is a white matter bundle connecting the two structures and the temporal pole. These two gray matter structures and this bundle conforms an important semantic and emotional regulatory network. MRI diffusion weighted and T1 sequences were used in 32 young women (18-30 years old) to deepen the relationship in the aforementioned network. During the post-analysis were performed imaging techniques based on diffusion tensor imaging conjoined with voxels based morphometry. It was calculated the volume in milliliters of the two brain structures and the connectivity of the uncinate fasciculus by fractional anisotropy. Data analysis was performed using a model of mediation (Sobel test) with Bootsrapping technique. The hypothesis was if the uncinate connectivity was a mediator of the influence of the size of the amygdala on the size of the orbitofrontal cortex. The main findings were that the right amygdala directly predicts (unmediated) the right orbitofrontal volume, but in the left hemisphere the role of mediation by the uncinate fasciculus was more complex and cross hemispheric. New data are necessary to find more evidence over these path relationships.

Palabras clave : Uncinate fascicle; Amygdala; Orbitofrontal cortex; Magnetic resonance imaging; Sobel Test.

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