Functional neuroanatomy associated with the interaction between emotion and cognition in explicit memory tasks in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Man Moon ◽  
Jong-Chul Yang ◽  
Gwang-Woo Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Blood Oxygenation ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Functional Neuroanatomy ◽  
The Brain

Background The functional neuroanatomy for explicit memory in conjunction with the major anxiety symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has not yet been clearly identified. Purpose To investigate the brain activation patterns on the interaction between emotional and cognitive function during the explicit memory tasks, as well as its correlation with clinical characteristics in GAD. Material and Methods The participants comprised GAD patients and age-matched healthy controls. The fMR images were obtained while the participants performed an explicit memory task with neutral and anxiety-inducing words. Results Patients showed significantly decreased functional activities in the putamen, head of the caudate nucleus, hippocampus, and middle cingulate gyrus during the memory tasks with the neutral and anxiety-inducing words, whereas the precentral gyrus and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex were significantly increased only in the memory tasks with the anxiety-inducing words. Also, the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes in the hippocampus were positively correlated with the recognition accuracy for both neutral and anxiety-inducing words. Conclusion This study identified the brain areas associated with the interaction between emotional regulation and cognitive function in the explicit memory tasks in patients with GAD. These findings would be helpful to understand the neural mechanism on the explicit memory-related cognitive deficits and emotional dysfunction with GAD symptoms.

Abnormalities in gray and white matter volumes associated with explicit memory dysfunction in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Man Moon ◽  
Gwang-Woo Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Structural Abnormality ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Memory Dysfunction ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
The Brain

Background The neuroanatomical abnormalities associated with behavioral dysfunction on explicit memory in patients generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have not yet been clearly identified. Purpose To investigate the regional gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume alterations over the whole brain in patients with GAD, as well as the correlation between the brain structural abnormality and explicit memory dysfunction. Material and Methods Twenty patients with GAD and 20 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education level underwent high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The participants performed the explicit memory tasks with the neutral and anxiety-inducing words. Results Patients with GAD showed significantly reduced GM volumes in the midbrain (MB), thalamus, hippocampus (Hip), insula, and superior temporal gyrus (STG); and reduced WM volumes in the MB, anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and precentral gyrus (PrG). It is important to note that the GM volume of the Hip and the WM volume of the DLPFC were positively correlated with the recognition accuracy (%) in the explicit memory tasks with neutral and anxiety-inducing words, respectively. On the other hand, the WM volume of the PrG was negatively correlated with the reaction time in the same memory tasks. Conclusion This study demonstrated the regional volume changes on whole-brain GM and WM and the correlation between the brain structural alteration and explicit memory dysfunction in GAD patients. These findings would be helpful to understand the association between the brain structure abnormality and the functional deficit in the explicit memory in GAD.

scholarly journals Affective neuroimaging in generalized anxiety disorder: an integrated review

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-179 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Blood Oxygenation ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Emotional Cues ◽  
Oxygenation Level ◽  
Cardinal Symptom

Affective neuroimaging has contributed to our knowledge of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) through measurement of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses, which facilitate inference on neural responses to emotional stimuli during task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this article, the authors provide an integrated review of the task-based affective fMRI literature in GAD. Studies provide evidence for variable presence and directionality of BOLD abnormalities in limbic and prefrontal regions during reactivity to, regulation of, and learning from emotional cues. We conclude that understanding the sources of this variability is key to accelerating progress in this area. We propose that the cardinal symptom of GAD—worry—predominantly reflects stimulus-independent mental processes that impose abnormal, inflexible functional brain configurations, ie, the overall pattern of information transfer among behaviorally relevant neural circuits at a given point in time. These configurations that are inflexible to change from the incoming flux of environmental stimuli may underlie inconsistent task-based findings.

Explicit memory bias for threat words in generalized anxiety disorder

2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce H. Friedman ◽  
Julian F. Thayer ◽  
Thomas D. Borkovec
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Memory Bias ◽  
Generalized Anxiety

scholarly journals Neuroinflammation-Associated Alterations of the Brain as Potential Neural Biomarkers in Anxiety Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6546
Author(s):  
Eunsoo Won ◽  
Yong-Ku Kim
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Panic Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Limbic Structures ◽  
Neurobiological Substrates ◽  
The Brain

Stress-induced changes in the immune system, which lead to neuroinflammation and consequent brain alterations, have been suggested as possible neurobiological substrates of anxiety disorders, with previous literature predominantly focusing on panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorder, among the anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders have frequently been associated with chronic stress, with chronically stressful situations being reported to precipitate the onset of anxiety disorders. Also, chronic stress has been reported to lead to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system disruption, which may in turn induce systemic proinflammatory conditions. Preliminary evidence suggests anxiety disorders are also associated with increased inflammation. Systemic inflammation can access the brain, and enhance pro-inflammatory cytokine levels that have been shown to precipitate direct and indirect neurotoxic effects. Prefrontal and limbic structures are widely reported to be influenced by neuroinflammatory conditions. In concordance with these findings, various imaging studies on panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorder have reported alterations in structure, function, and connectivity of prefrontal and limbic structures. Further research is needed on the use of inflammatory markers and brain imaging in the early diagnosis of anxiety disorders, along with the possible efficacy of anti-inflammatory interventions on the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders.

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