Key result
Adolescents with severe nonsuicidal self-injury exhibited a blunted cortisol response to stress and lower amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex resting-state functional connectivity compared to those with no or mild self-injury.
Cross-Sectional (n=142)
Multimodal assessment reveals that adolescents with severe NSSI exhibit blunted cortisol responses and lower amygdala-mPFC connectivity, highlighting complex neurobiological mechanisms underlying self-injury.
= 142). Across NSSI lifetime frequency and NSSI severity groups (No + Mild NSSI, Moderate NSSI, Severe NSSI), we examined physiological, self-reported and observed stress during the Trier Social Stress Test; amygdala volume; amygdala responses to threat stimuli; and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Severe NSSI showed a blunted pattern of cortisol response, despite elevated reported and observed stress during TSST. Severe NSSI showed lower amygdala-mPFC RSFC; follow-up analyses suggested that this was more pronounced in those with a history of suicide attempt for both moderate and severe NSSI. Moderate NSSI showed elevated right amygdala activation to threat; multiple regressions showed that, when considered together with low amygdala-mPFC RSFC, higher right but lower left amygdala activation predicted NSSI severity. Patterns of interrelationships among Sustained Threat measures varied substantially across NSSI severity groups, and further by suicide attempt history. Study limitations include the cross-sectional design, missing data, and sampling biases. Our findings highlight the value of multilevel approaches in understanding the complexity of neurobiological mechanisms in adolescent NSSI.
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Başgöze et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Nonsuicidal self-injury (n=142). Severe nonsuicidal self-injury vs. No or mild nonsuicidal self-injury was evaluated on Temporal cortisol trajectory during Trier Social Stress Test (coeff estimate = -0.01, p=0.0426). Adolescents with severe nonsuicidal self-injury exhibited a blunted cortisol response to stress and lower amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex resting-state functional connectivity compared to those with no or mild self-injury.
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