Neurostructural abnormalities associated with axes of emotion dysregulation in generalized anxiety

Makovac, Elena; Meeten, Frances; Watson, David; Garfinkel, Sarah N.; Critchley, Hugo; Ottaviani, Cristina

doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2015.11.022

Cited by 55 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Meanwhile, anxiety in our data was found to be associated with decreased activation in the left supramarginal gyrus and left postcentral gyrus. These findings are compatible with a recent study that revealed decreased gray matter volume of supramarginal and postcentral gyrus in patients with generalized anxiety disorders (Makovac et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Neural activity during object perception in schizophrenia patients is associated with illness duration and affective symptoms

Stephan‐Otto

Siddi

Esteban

et al. 2016

Schizophrenia Research

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Background: Abnormalities in visual processes have been observed in schizophrenia patients and have been associated with alteration of the lateral occipital complex and visual cortex. However, the relationship of these abnormalities with clinical symptomatology is largely unknown. Methods: We investigated the brain activity associated with object perception in schizophrenia. Pictures of common objects were presented to 26 healthy participants (age = 36.9; 11 females) and 20 schizophrenia patients (age = 39.9; 8 females) in an fMRI study. Results: In the healthy sample the presentation of pictures yielded significant activation (p <.001) of the bilateral fusiform gyrus, bilateral lingual gyrus, and bilateral middle occipital gyrus. In patients, the bilateral fusiform gyrus and bilateral lingual gyrus were significantly activated (p <.001), but not so the middle occipital gyrus. However, significant bilateral activation of the middle occipital gyrus (p <.05) was revealed when illness duration was controlled for. Depression was significantly associated with increased activation, and anxiety with decreased activation, of the right middle occipital gyrus and several other brain areas in the patient group. No association with positive or negative symptoms was revealed. Conclusions:Illness duration accounts for the weak activation of the middle occipital gyrus in patients during picture presentation. Affective symptoms, but not positive or negative symptoms, influence the activation of the right middle occipital gyrus and other brain areas.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Neural activity during object perception in schizophrenia patients is associated with illness duration and affective symptoms

Stephan‐Otto

Siddi

Esteban

et al. 2016

Schizophrenia Research

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“…The fact that levels of worry did not significantly increase after the induction in participants who are prone to engage in this cognitive process may appear surprising. However, this is not an unusual finding and—like in previous studies conducted in patients with GAD—it is simply due to the already higher baseline levels of state worry in these populations (e.g., Makovac et al, 2015). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Association between Attention and Heart Rate Fluctuations in Pathological Worriers

Gazzellini

Dettori

Amadori

et al. 2016

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Recent data suggests that several psychopathological conditions are associated with alterations in the variability of behavioral and physiological responses. Pathological worry, defined as the cognitive representation of a potential threat, has been associated with reduced variability of heart beat oscillations (i.e., decreased heart rate variability; HRV) and lapses of attention indexed by reaction times (RTs). Clinical populations with attention deficit show RTs oscillation around 0.05 and 0.01 Hz when performing a sustained attention task. We tested the hypothesis that people who are prone to worry do it in a predictable oscillating pattern revealed through recurrent lapses in attention and concomitant oscillating HRV. Sixty healthy young adults (50% women) were recruited: 30 exceeded the clinical cut-off on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; High-Worry, HW); the remaining 30 constituted the Low-Worry (LW) group. After a diagnostic assessment, participants performed two 15-min sustained attention tasks, interspersed by a standardized worry-induction procedure. RTs, HRV and moods were assessed. The analyses of the frequency spectrum showed that the HW group presents a significant higher and constant peak of RTs oscillation around 0.01 Hz (period 100 s) after the induction of worry, in comparison with their baseline and with the LW group that was not responsive to the induction procedure. Physiologically, the induction significantly reduced high-frequency HRV and such reduction was associated with levels of self-reported worry. Results are coherent with the oscillatory nature of the default mode network (DMN) and further confirm an association between cognitive rigidity and autonomic nervous system inflexibility.

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“…No group differences for any of the assessed socio-demographic and lifestyle variables emerged, therefore these were not included as covariates in the subsequent analyses (see Makovac et al, 2015). GAD participants had higher (and pathological) scores on the PSWQ (69.1 ± 8.2 vs 42.6 ± 13.4, t (38) = 7.02, p < 0.001) and the SRRS (1398 ± 263 vs 983 ± 238), t (38) = 4.92, p < 0.001) compared to controls.…”

Section: Descriptive Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To better characterize the sample from a clinical point of view, levels of state and trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI; Spielberger et al, 1983) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI;Beck et al, 1988) were also assessed (see Makovac et al, 2015 for further details).…”

Section: Questionnairesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analyses on pre-existing group differences and the effects of the induction at a behavioural (RTs), subjective (VAS), and physiological (RMSSD) level are described elsewhere, although on a slightly different sample size (Makovac et al, 2015). For clarity purposes, however, the main findings will be summarized in the Results section.…”

Section: Questionnaire Behavioural and Hrv Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurobiological substrates of cognitive rigidity and autonomic inflexibility in generalized anxiety disorder

Ottaviani

Watson

Meeten

et al. 2016

Biological Psychology

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Neurobiological substrates of cognitive rigidity and autonomic inflexibility in generalized anxiety disorder.Biological Psychology http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.biopsycho.2016.06.009 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.  Trait worry was inversely related with prefrontal deactivation to target detection. HRV predicted neural activation changes produced by attentional focus switching. A worry induction increased pre-to post-target deactivation of default mode areas. The induction reduced behavioural and neurobiological differences between groups. AbstractGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by difficulties in inhibiting both perseverative thoughts (worry and rumination) and autonomic arousal. We investigated the neurobiological substrates of such abnormal inhibitory processes, hypothesizing aberrant functional coupling within 'default mode' (DMN) and autonomic brain networks. Functional imaging and heart rate variability (HRV) data were acquired from GAD patients and controls during performance of three tracking tasks interspersed with a perseverative cognition (PC) induction. After detection of infrequent target stimuli, activity within putative DMN hubs was suppressed, consistent with a redirection of attentional resources from internal to external focus. This magnitude of activity change was attenuated in patients and individuals with higher trait PC, but was predicted by individual differences in HRV. Following the induction of PC in controls, this pattern of neural reactivity became closer to that of GAD patients. Results support, at a neural level, the association between cognitive inflexibility and autonomic rigidity.

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Neurostructural abnormalities associated with axes of emotion dysregulation in generalized anxiety

Cited by 55 publications

References 70 publications

Neural activity during object perception in schizophrenia patients is associated with illness duration and affective symptoms

Neural activity during object perception in schizophrenia patients is associated with illness duration and affective symptoms

Association between Attention and Heart Rate Fluctuations in Pathological Worriers

Neurobiological substrates of cognitive rigidity and autonomic inflexibility in generalized anxiety disorder

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