Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide plasma levels associated with affective symptoms and brain structure and function in healthy females
Simon RA, Barazanji N, Jones MP, et al. (2021). Scientific Reports.
Summary
An observational study measuring plasma VIP, anxiety and depression symptom scores, and structural and functional MRI in 37 healthy women. Higher VIP levels correlated with lower anxiety and depression scores, with greater functional connectivity between the amygdala and the parahippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex, and with larger volume in the left amygdala and left lateral orbitofrontal cortex. No VIP was administered; the study reports correlations in a small, healthy, single-sex sample and cannot establish cause.