| Autor: |
Sirevåg K; Solli DPS, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Stavestrand SH; Solli DPS, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Specht K; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Mohn Medical and Imaging Visualization Centre, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Education, UiT/The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway., Nordhus IH; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Hammar Å; Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.; Office for Psychiatry and Habilitation, Psychiatry Research Skåne, Region Skåne, Sweden., Molde H; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Mohlman J; William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, USA., Endal TB; Solli DPS, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway., Halmøy A; Department of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Kronstad DPS, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway., Andersson E; The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden., Sjøbø T; Solli DPS, Bergen, Norway., Nordahl HM; Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway., Thayer JF; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA., Hovland A; Solli DPS, Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.; Helse Fonna Hospital Trust, Haugesund, Norway. |
| Abstrakt: |
Executive functions (EF) decline with age and this decline in older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) may be influenced by heart rate variability (HRV), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and physical fitness. Understanding these relationships is important for tailored treatments in this population. In this study, 51 adults with GAD ( M age = 66.46, SD = 4.08) and 51 healthy controls ( M age = 67.67, SD = 4.04) were assessed on cognitive inhibition (Stroop task), shifting (Trails part 4), flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test - Perseverative errors), working memory (Digit Span Backwards), IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence), high frequency HRV, serum mature BDNF levels, and VO 2 max. Results indicated that participants with GAD exhibited better cognitive inhibition compared to controls, with no general reduction in EF. Cognitive inhibition was predicted by gender, HRV, and BDNF levels, while cognitive shifting was predicted by gender and IQ, and cognitive flexibility and working memory by IQ. The enhanced cognitive inhibition in GAD participants might stem from maladaptive use of this function, characteristic of GAD, or protection from EF decline due to normal HRV. Increased BDNF levels, possibly due to good fitness, or compensatory mechanisms related to the disorder, might also play a role. These findings highlight the complexity of EF and related mechanisms in GAD, highlighting the need for interventions that consider both cognitive and physiological factors for optimal outcomes. |
