Quantitative representations of an exaggerated anxiety response in the brain of female spider phobics-a parametric fMRI study
| Autor: | Anna Zilverstand, Bettina Sorger, Anita Kaemingk, Rainer Goebel |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Radiological and Ultrasound Technology Audiology Amygdala 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging Phobic disorder Developmental psychology Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine medicine.anatomical_structure Neurology medicine Anxiety Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging Orbitofrontal cortex Neurology (clinical) Anatomy Neurofeedback medicine.symptom Psychology Insula 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Anterior cingulate cortex |
| Zdroj: | Human Brain Mapping. 38:3025-3038 |
| ISSN: | 1065-9471 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/hbm.23571 |
| Popis: | We employed a novel parametric spider picture set in the context of a parametric fMRI anxiety provocation study, designed to tease apart brain regions involved in threat monitoring from regions representing an exaggerated anxiety response in spider phobics. For the stimulus set, we systematically manipulated perceived proximity of threat by varying a depicted spider's context, size, and posture. All stimuli were validated in a behavioral rating study (phobics n = 20; controls n = 20; all female). An independent group participated in a subsequent fMRI anxiety provocation study (phobics n = 7; controls n = 7; all female), in which we compared a whole-brain categorical to a whole-brain parametric analysis. Results demonstrated that the parametric analysis provided a richer characterization of the functional role of the involved brain networks. In three brain regions-the mid insula, the dorsal anterior cingulate, and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-activation was linearly modulated by perceived proximity specifically in the spider phobia group, indicating a quantitative representation of an exaggerated anxiety response. In other regions (e.g., the amygdala), activation was linearly modulated in both groups, suggesting a functional role in threat monitoring. Prefrontal regions, such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, were activated during anxiety provocation but did not show a stimulus-dependent linear modulation in either group. The results confirm that brain regions involved in anxiety processing hold a quantitative representation of a pathological anxiety response and more generally suggest that parametric fMRI designs may be a very powerful tool for clinical research in the future, particularly when developing novel brain-based interventions (e.g., neurofeedback training). Hum Brain Mapp 38:3025-3038, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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