Relationship between trait anxiety, prefrontal cortex, and attention bias to angry faces in children and adolescents

Abstract

Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a visual-probe task that assesses attention to threat, we investigated the cognitive and neurophysiological correlates of trait anxiety in youth. During fMRI acquisition, 16 healthy children and adolescents viewed angry-neutral face pairs and responded to a probe that was on the same (angry-congruent) or opposite (angryincongruent) side as the angry face. Attention bias scores were calculated by subtracting participants' mean reaction time for angry-congruent trials from angry-incongruent trials. Trait anxiety was positively associated with attention bias towards angry faces. Neurophysiologically, trait anxiety was positively associated with right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation on a contrast of trials that reflect the attention bias for angry faces (i.e., angry-incongruent versus angry-congruent trials). Trait anxiety was also positively associated with right ventrolateral PFC activation on trials with face stimuli (versus baseline), irrespective of their emotional content.

Attention Control and Attention to Emotional Stimuli in Anxious Children Before and After Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

“…Given these equivocal findings, and the limited research into the effect of CBT on attentional biases in childhood anxiety, further investigation into these relationships is warranted. This study aims to do so by using well-established methodology to assess attentional bias, namely, a visual probe task with angry faces as threat stimuli, which has been successfully used in several previous studies to detect attentional biases in anxious children (e.g., Roy et al 2008;Telzer et al 2008;Waters et al 2008a).…”

Acute and repetitive fronto-cerebellar tDCS stimulation improves mood in non-depressed participants

“…To date, whether examining neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, or healthy participants, research into the modulation of mood states has predominately focused on the role played by the PFC (e.g. Davidson 2002;Greicius et al 2007a;Holzschneider and Mulert 2011;Mayberg et al 1997;Seminowicz et al 2004;Telzer et al 2008). The basis for neuromodulation with regard to depression is premised on observations of hypoactivity of the left dlPFC, as indicated by reduced glucose metabolism or blood flow (Baxter et al 1989;Blumberger et al 2012;Brunoni et al 2012a;Fitzgerald et al 2006), and the theory that it is possible to ameliorate depressive symptoms by addressing this dysfunctional imbalance between the hemispheres via anodal stimulation of the left dlPFC.…”

A test to identify judgement bias in mice

“…People that are in a negative affective state reveal a better memory of negative events, tend to focus their attention on the occurrence of negative events, and interpret ambiguous stimuli more negatively (negative judgement or interpretation bias) [2][3][4][5][6]. People suffering from anxiety disorders and/or depression have a more negative judgement bias than healthy controls [7].Based on the knowledge mentioned above, a negative judgement bias is understood as an indicator of a negative affective state [6,[8][9][10].…”