The neural correlates of cognitive effort in anxiety: Effects on processing efficiency

Ansari, Tahereh L.; Derakshan, Nazanin

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.12.013

Cited by 108 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…In line with these predictions, state anxiety was associated with the decreased modulation of picture processing by working memory load (i.e., as indexed by the LPP); however, anxiety was not associated with differential behavioral performance (for similar results, see . Recent work has used ERPs to index compensatory effort in anxiety (Ansari & Derakshan, 2011), and more studies of this kind may be useful in understanding why anxious individuals may, at times, perform on par with nonanxious individuals (Ikeda, Iwanaga, & Seiwa, 1996;NavehBenjamin, McKeachie, Lin, & Holinger, 1981;A. Richards, French, Keogh, & Carter, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working memory load reduces the late positive potential and this effect is attenuated with increasing anxiety

MacNamara

Ferri

Hajcak

2011

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

119

110

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Emotion regulation decreases the processing of arousing stimuli, as indexed by the late positive potential (LPP), an electrocortical component that varies in amplitude with emotional arousal. Emotion regulation increases activity in the prefrontal areas associated with cognitive control, including the dosolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The present study manipulated working memory load, known to activate the DLPFC, and recorded the LPP elicited by aversive and neutral IAPS pictures presented during the retention interval. The LPP was larger on low-load compared to high-load trials, and on trials with aversive compared to neutral pictures. These LPP data suggest that emotional content and working memory load have opposing effects on attention to distracting stimuli. State anxiety was associated with reduced modulation of the LPP by working memory load. Results are discussed in terms of competition for attention between emotion and cognition and suggest a relationship between DLPFC activation and the allocation of attentional resources to distracting visual stimuli-a relationship that may be disrupted with increasing anxiety.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working memory load reduces the late positive potential and this effect is attenuated with increasing anxiety

MacNamara

Ferri

Hajcak

2011

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

119

110

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“…Furthermore, this effect was dependent on the education level with the largest HA effect on the accuracy increment taking place in the group of the DRD4 long allele carriers with secondary education. According to the widely accepted interpretation (e.g., Ansari & Derakshan, 2011), accuracy reflects performance effectiveness, while time to complete the task may represent an indirect indicator of efficiency. Thus, our findings are in line with ACT statements (Eysenck et al, 2007), suggesting that under certain conditions high trait anxiety: 1) causes more profound processing of irrelevant stimuli increasing the influence of stimulus-driven attention system and 2) promotes the investment of additional resources to performance effectiveness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Higher anxiety led to an increase in accuracy at the expense of a longer scanning (efficiency) in our study. Such a relationship has been previously interpreted as a sign that high anxiety leads to enhanced motivation to be more accurate and to invest additional resources to task performance (Ansari & Derakshan, 2011;Richards, French, Keogh, & Carter, 2000).…”

Section: Alfimova Et Almentioning

confidence: 97%

“…It has been recently argued that trait anxiety is related to deficiencies in the executive control attentional network, while state anxiety is associated with hyperactivity of the alerting and orienting networks (Pacheco-Unguetti, Acosta, Callejas, & Lupianez, 2010). Consistent with ACT, neuroimaging studies demonstrated that high-anxious individuals had to invest more cognitive (compensatory) efforts in task performance which manifested itself as an increased task-related activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (Ansari & Derakshan, 2011;Basten, Stelzel, & Fiebach, 2011;Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Satpute, 2005). At the same time, the reduced sustained activity of the PFC in high-anxious individuals was reported.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Interaction Effects of the COMT and DRD4 Genes with Anxiety-Related Traits on Selective Attention

et al. 2014

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The study investigated whether the DRD4 and COMT genes can modify relations between trait anxiety and selective attention. Two hundreds and sixty-six subjects performed a visual search task in which they had to find words looking through a sheet with rows of letters. After finishing the first sheet the subject was presented the second one, this time with an instruction to perform the task as quickly and accurate as possible. To study top-down attention, the number of correctly identified words (accuracy) and the time for completion of each trial were analyzed. To study bottom-up attention, the letters ‘o’ and ‘n’ were written in green, whilst the others were in black, and subjects were asked whether they had noticed that 2–3 minutes after the task completion. Genotypes for the COMT Val158Met and DRD4 VNTR-48 polymorphisms and TCI Harm Avoidance and MMPI Depression scales’ scores were obtained as well. High anxious individuals showed a more pronounced increase in accuracy in the second trial and more profound processing of irrelevant stimuli (colored letters). There was a significant interaction effect of DRD4 and Harm avoidance on the accuracy dynamics F(1, 210), = 7.65, p = .006, η2 = .04. Among DRD4 long allele carriers, high anxious subjects significantly improved accuracy (p = .013) and tended to slow speed, while those with lower Harm avoidance demonstrated the opposite trend. These effects were more robust in less educated individuals. It was concluded that the DRD4 polymorphism may modify the influence of trait anxiety on the speed-accuracy tradeoff.

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“…Research evidence indicates that some aspects of attention-related function can be influenced and modulated by anxiety [12,47,[99][100][101]. These include attentional narrowing [100], selective attention, attentional control [7,102], inhibition, alerting, orienting and attentional resource allocation [7,15,[102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117], pre-attentive change detection, sensory processing, contrast sensitivity involved in low level visual processing, processing speed, increased processing of task-irrelevant information [106,[118][119][120][121][122][123] and selective attention bias in relation to threat-relevant information [108][109][110]120,122,123], and which in some cases, is related to state or trait anxiety [114]. Furthermore, average pupil diameter can be greater in the presence of moderate to severe anxiety compared to mild or no anxiety symptoms [124] and thus may influence the pupillary light reflex [125][126]…”

Section: Anxiety and Attention-related Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety in old age and dementia - implications for clinical and research practice

Tales¹,

Basoudan²

2016

Neuropsychiatry (London)

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While extensive research has been performed in relation to anxiety in general, there is a marked paucity of investigation on older adulthood, especially in relation to those individuals living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, with the majority of such studies clinically based and focusing upon 'formal' anxiety disorders. It is however becoming increasingly evident that the detrimental effects of anxiety are not limited to clinical anxiety disorders but can instead occur in response to anxiety per se, i.e., sub-syndromal anxiety including various levels of trait and state anxiety. Furthermore, it is increasingly apparent that even non-clinical anxiety can influence many more components of information processing than previously recognized.

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The neural correlates of cognitive effort in anxiety: Effects on processing efficiency

Cited by 108 publications

References 50 publications

Working memory load reduces the late positive potential and this effect is attenuated with increasing anxiety

Working memory load reduces the late positive potential and this effect is attenuated with increasing anxiety

Interaction Effects of the COMT and DRD4 Genes with Anxiety-Related Traits on Selective Attention

Anxiety in old age and dementia - implications for clinical and research practice

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