The Association Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Resting-State Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation Is Modified by Self-Reported Physical Activity: Results From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

Abstract Individuals with anxiety disorders exhibit lower intrinsic functional connectivity between prefrontal cortical areas and subcortical regions. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is sensitive to the acute and chronic effects of physical activity (PA), while the anxiolytic effects of PA are well known. The current study examined the association of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and its interaction with PA, with resting-state, left PFC oxygenation. This cross-sectional study used data from participants (N = 2444) from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a nationally representative prospective study of community-living adults aged 50 and older in Ireland. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short-Form determined fulfillment of criteria for GAD. The short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire determined adherence to the World Health Organization PA guidelines. Resting-state, left PFC oxygenation was continuously measured via a Portalite. Tissue saturation index (TSI) was calculated as the ratio of oxygenated hemoglobin to total tissue hemoglobin (expressed as a percentage) for the final minute of a 5-minute supine-rest period. Multivariable linear regression quantified associations of GAD with TSI in the total population and population stratified by PA status. Participants with GAD had lower TSI (b = −1.416, p = .008) compared to those without GAD. However, this association was modified by PA. Among participants who met the PA guidelines, TSI did not differ according to GAD status (b = −0.800, p = .398). For participants who did not meet the guidelines, TSI was significantly lower among those with GAD (b = −1.758, p = .004). These findings suggest that PA may help to protect brain health among older adults with GAD.

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Physical activity partially mediates associations between “Big” personality traits and incident generalized anxiety disorder: Findings from the irish longitudinal study on ageing

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.124 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 277 ◽

pp. 46-52

Author(s):

Cillian P. McDowell ◽

Kathryn E. Wilson ◽

Derek C. Monroe ◽

Cathal McCrory ◽

Rose Anne Kenny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety

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A failed top-down control from prefrontal cortex to amygdala in generalized anxiety disorder: evidence from resting-state fMRI with Granger causality analysis

10.1101/573634 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mengshi Dong ◽

Likun Xia ◽

Min Lu ◽

Chao Li ◽

Ke Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Granger Causality ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Resting State ◽

Effective Connectivity ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Causality Analysis ◽

Top Down ◽

Granger Causality Analysis

AbstractObjectiveIn generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), abnormal top-down control from prefrontal cortex (PFC) to amygdala is a widely accepted hypothesis through which “emotional dysregulation model” may be explained. However, whether and how the PFC directly exerted abnormal top-down control on amygdala remained largely unknown. We aim to investigate the amygdala-based effective connectivity by using Granger causality analysis (GCA).MethodsThirty-five drug-naive patients with GAD and thirty-six healthy controls (HC) underwent resting-state functional MR imaging. We used seed-based Granger causality analysis to examine the effective connectivity between the bilateral amygdala and the whole brain. The amygdala-based effective connectivity was compared between the two groups.ResultsIn HC, the left middle frontal gyrus exerted inhibitory influence on the right amygdala, while in GAD group, this influence was disrupted (single voxel P < 0.001, Gaussian random field corrected with P < 0.01).ConclusionOur finding might provide new insight into the “insufficient top-down control” hypothesis in GAD.

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Functional dissection of neural connectivity in generalized anxiety disorder

10.1101/2022.01.09.475543 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Jonas L Steinhäuser ◽

Adam R Teed ◽

Obada Al-Zoubi ◽

René Hurlemann ◽

Gang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Resting State ◽

A Priori ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Correlated Activity ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Differences in the correlated activity of networked brain regions have been reported in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but an overreliance on the null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) framework limits the identification and characterization of disorder-relevant relationships. In this preregistered study, we applied a Bayesian statistical framework as well as NHST to the analysis of resting-state fMRI scans from females with GAD and demographically matched healthy comparison females. Eleven a-priori hypotheses about functional correlativity (FC) were evaluated using Bayesian (multilevel model) and frequentist (t-test) inference. Reduced FC between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the posterior-mid insula (PMI) was confirmed by both statistical approaches. FC between the vmPFC-anterior insula, the amygdala-PMI, and the amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) region pairs did not survive multiple comparison correction using the frequentist approach. However, the Bayesian model provided evidence for these region pairs having decreased FC in the GAD group. Leveraging Bayesian modeling, we demonstrate decreased FC of the vmPFC, insula, amygdala, and dlPFC in females with GAD. Exploiting the Bayesian framework revealed FC abnormalities between region pairs excluded by the frequentist analysis, as well as other previously undescribed regions, demonstrating the benefits of applying this statistical approach to resting state FC data.

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Exploring the Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Mental Health Disorders in Saudi Arabian Adults: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25438 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nora A Althumiri ◽

Mada H Basyouni ◽

Nasser F BinDhim

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

World Health ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional

BACKGROUND The relationship between physical activity and mental health, especially the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), has received increasing attention in recent years. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the association between fulfilling the World Health Organization (WHO) global recommendations on physical activity and the risk and symptoms of MDD and GAD in the Saudi population. METHODS This study was a secondary analysis of data from a large nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted via phone interviews in June and July 2020. In this study, a proportional quota sampling technique was used to obtain an equal distribution of participants, stratified by age and gender, across the 13 regions of Saudi Arabia. The main mental health screening tool used for the risk of MDD was the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Risk of GAD was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Participants self-reported whether they fulfill the WHO global recommendations on (1) moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (MIPA) and (2) vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (VIPA). The results were then analyzed based on the following two categories: fulfilling the WHO global recommendations or not. RESULTS The data analysis included 8333 participants recruited in the main study between June and July 2020. The response rate was 81.45% (8333/10,231). Of them, 50.3% (4192/8333) were female, and the mean age was 36.5 years, with a median age of 36 years and a range from 18 to 90 years. The average total PHQ-9 score was 5.61, and the average total GAD-7 score was 4.18. For men, the average total PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were associated with fulfilling recommendations for MIPA; however, there were no associations for VIPA in both sexes. Fulfilling the WHO’s recommendations for MIPA was associated with considerably fewer depressive symptoms in six of the nine items in the PHQ-9. Moreover, fulfilling recommendations for MIPA was associated with considerably fewer anxiety symptoms in six of the seven items in the GAD-7. However, fulfilling recommendations for VIPA was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms in one of the PHQ-9 items (“Thoughts that you would be better off dead or thoughts of hurting yourself in some way;” <i>P</i><.001). CONCLUSIONS This study has shown that fulfilling guidelines on MIPA is associated with less overall risk of MDD and GAD in males and fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms generally in a nonclinical population. In the general population, an increase in MIPA may improve well-being and general mental health.

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A failed top-down control from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala in generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence from resting-state fMRI with Granger causality analysis

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134314 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 707 ◽

pp. 134314 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mengshi Dong ◽

Likun Xia ◽

Min Lu ◽

Chao Li ◽

Ke Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Granger Causality ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Resting State ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Causality Analysis ◽

Top Down ◽

Granger Causality Analysis

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Physical activity correlates among older adults with probable generalized anxiety disorder: Results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

General Hospital Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2019.04.012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 ◽

pp. 30-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

C.P. McDowell ◽

B.R. Gordon ◽

C. MacDonncha ◽

M.P. Herring

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety

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Physical activity and generalized anxiety disorder: results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyy141 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 1443-1453 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Cillian P McDowell ◽

Rodney K Dishman ◽

Davy Vancampfort ◽

Mats Hallgren ◽

Brendon Stubbs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety

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Exploring the Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Mental Health Disorders in Saudi Arabian Adults: Cross-sectional Study

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance ◽

10.2196/25438 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. e25438

Author(s):

Nora A Althumiri ◽

Mada H Basyouni ◽

Nasser F BinDhim

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

World Health ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional

Background The relationship between physical activity and mental health, especially the symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), has received increasing attention in recent years. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the association between fulfilling the World Health Organization (WHO) global recommendations on physical activity and the risk and symptoms of MDD and GAD in the Saudi population. Methods This study was a secondary analysis of data from a large nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted via phone interviews in June and July 2020. In this study, a proportional quota sampling technique was used to obtain an equal distribution of participants, stratified by age and gender, across the 13 regions of Saudi Arabia. The main mental health screening tool used for the risk of MDD was the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Risk of GAD was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Participants self-reported whether they fulfill the WHO global recommendations on (1) moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (MIPA) and (2) vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (VIPA). The results were then analyzed based on the following two categories: fulfilling the WHO global recommendations or not. Results The data analysis included 8333 participants recruited in the main study between June and July 2020. The response rate was 81.45% (8333/10,231). Of them, 50.3% (4192/8333) were female, and the mean age was 36.5 years, with a median age of 36 years and a range from 18 to 90 years. The average total PHQ-9 score was 5.61, and the average total GAD-7 score was 4.18. For men, the average total PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were associated with fulfilling recommendations for MIPA; however, there were no associations for VIPA in both sexes. Fulfilling the WHO’s recommendations for MIPA was associated with considerably fewer depressive symptoms in six of the nine items in the PHQ-9. Moreover, fulfilling recommendations for MIPA was associated with considerably fewer anxiety symptoms in six of the seven items in the GAD-7. However, fulfilling recommendations for VIPA was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms in one of the PHQ-9 items (“Thoughts that you would be better off dead or thoughts of hurting yourself in some way;” P<.001). Conclusions This study has shown that fulfilling guidelines on MIPA is associated with less overall risk of MDD and GAD in males and fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms generally in a nonclinical population. In the general population, an increase in MIPA may improve well-being and general mental health.

Download Full-text