scholarly journals Conceptual fear generalization gradients

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëtan Mertens ◽  
Vera Bouwman ◽  
Arne Leer ◽  
Iris Engelhard
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Electric Shock ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Generalization Gradients ◽  
Fear Generalization ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
Insight Into

A hallmark symptom of fear and anxiety disorder is generalization of fear to essentially innocuous stimuli and situations. Such generalization can occur through both perceptual and conceptually similarities. Recent studies indicate that perceptual generalization is inflated in anxiety patients and individuals prone to develop anxiety disorders, suggesting that perceptual generalization may be involved in the etiology of anxiety disorders. In the current study we want to address whether conceptual generalization is potentially implicated in the development of anxiety disorders. Therefore, we will use a novel paradigm in which the Dutch word mini [tiny] or enorm [enormous] is paired with an electric shock and assess fear to the conceptually related words klein [small], medium [medium], and groot [large]. The obtained generalization gradients will be related to personality traits known to be vulnerability factors for anxiety disorders. These results will provide insight into conceptual fear generalization and whether this phenomenon potentially relates to the development of anxiety disorders.

Genetics of Anxiety Disorders

2013 ◽  
pp. 537-546
Author(s):  
Javier A. Perez ◽  
Takeshi Otowa ◽  
Roxann Roberson-Nay ◽  
John M. Hettema
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Molecular Genetics ◽  
Genetic Epidemiology ◽  
Genetic Models ◽  
Pediatric Anxiety ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter provides a broad overview of the state of current research in the genetics of the major anxiety disorders. In addition tosummarizing findings regarding the individual clinical syndromes, we present data supporting genetic hypotheses that explain their comorbidity with each other and with related phenotypessuch as anxious personality traits and depression. We conceptually divide the chapter into three main sections based upon methodology: (1) genetic epidemiology of adult and pediatric anxiety (twin and family studies), (2) human molecular genetics (linkage and association), and (3) animal genetic models. These approaches provide complimentary and concurring evidence supporting the genetic basis underlying anxiety disorders as well as preliminary insight into the genetic mechanisms involved in their expression.

scholarly journals Generalization of Conditioned Contextual Anxiety and the Modulatory Effects of Anxiety Sensitivity

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1239-1252
Author(s):  
Marta Andreatta ◽  
Dorothea Neueder ◽  
Katharina Herzog ◽  
Hannah Genheimer ◽  
Miriam A. Schiele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Context Conditioning ◽  
Virtual Office ◽  
Generalization Gradients ◽  
Development Of Anxiety

Abstract Anxiety patients overgeneralize fear responses, possibly because they cannot distinguish between cues never been associated with a threat (i.e., safe) and threat-associated cues. However, as contexts and not cues are discussed as the relevant triggers for prolonged anxiety responses characterizing many anxiety disorders, we speculated that it is rather overgeneralization of contextual anxiety, which constitutes a risk factor for anxiety disorders. To this end, we investigated generalization of conditioned contextual anxiety and explored modulatory effects of anxiety sensitivity, a risk factor for anxiety disorders. Fifty-five participants underwent context conditioning in a virtual reality paradigm. On Day 1 (acquisition), participants received unpredictable mildly painful electric stimuli (unconditioned stimulus, US) in one virtual office (anxiety context, CTX+), but never in a second office (safety context, CTX−). Successful acquisition of conditioned anxiety was indicated by aversive ratings and defensive physiological responses (i.e., SCR) to CTX+ vs CTX−. On Day 2 (generalization), participants re-visited both the anxiety and the safety contexts plus three generalization contexts (G-CTX), which were gradually dissimilar to CTX+ (from 75 to 25%). Generalization of conditioned anxiety was evident for ratings, but less clear for physiological responses. The observed dissociation between generalization of verbal and physiological responses suggests that these responses depend on two distinct context representations, likely elemental and contextual representations. Importantly, anxiety sensitivity was positively correlated with the generalization of reported contextual anxiety. Thus, this study demonstrates generalization gradients for conditioned contextual anxiety and that anxiety sensitivity facilitates such generalization processes suggesting the importance of generalization of contextual anxiety for the development of anxiety disorders.

DSM-III compulsive personality disorder: an epidemiological survey

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Nestadt ◽  
A. J. Romanoski ◽  
C. H. Brown ◽  
R. Chahal ◽  
A. Merchant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Disorder ◽  
General Population ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Psychiatric Examination ◽  
Probability Sample ◽  
Development Of Anxiety

SYNOPSISA two-stage probability sample of community subjects was developed with a full psychiatric examination employing DSM-III criteria in conjunction with the Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) survey conducted in Baltimore, MD. This report details the observation on those subjects diagnosed with compulsive personality disorder and compulsive personality traits. The results indicate that this condition has a prevalence of 1·7% in a general population. Male, white, married and employed individuals receive this diagnosis most often. Our data suggest a dimensional rather than categorical character for this disorder. The disorder imparts a vulnerability for the development of anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders in older people

2020 ◽  
pp. 655-670
Author(s):  
Gerard Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Contemporary Life ◽  
Modern Treatment ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are phylogenetically ancient emotions that confer survival advantage across species. They facilitate escape from present danger and prepare the individual to deal rapidly with future threats. In contemporary life, a moderate increase in anxiety is commonly associated with increased performance. However, anxiety that is excessive or prolonged is maladaptive and may represent a mental disorder. Individual differences and contextual factors influence the final form that an anxiety disorder takes. Like many complex behaviours, anxiety disorders result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. In older people, anxiety often complicates physical frailty and cognitive decline. From a nosological perspective, anxiety can be conceptualized as both dimensional and categorical. Both psychological and pharmacological treatments are commonly applied to anxiety disorders in older people, with moderate efficacy. This chapter deals with classification, epidemiology, scientific underpinnings, phenomenology, and modern treatment approaches to anxiety disorders in later life.

scholarly journals Individual differences in human fear generalization—pattern identification and implications for anxiety disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Stegmann ◽  
M. A. Schiele ◽  
D. Schümann ◽  
T. B. Lonsdorf ◽  
P. Zwanzger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Response Characteristics ◽  
Generalization Gradients ◽  
Fear Generalization ◽  
Healthy Participants

AbstractPrevious research indicates that anxiety disorders are characterized by an overgeneralization of conditioned fear as compared with healthy participants. Therefore, fear generalization is considered a key mechanism for the development of anxiety disorders. However, systematic investigations on the variance in fear generalization are lacking. Therefore, the current study aims at identifying distinctive phenotypes of fear generalization among healthy participants. To this end, 1175 participants completed a differential fear conditioning phase followed by a generalization test. To identify patterns of fear generalization, we used a k-means clustering algorithm based on individual arousal generalization gradients. Subsequently, we examined the reliability and validity of the clusters and phenotypical differences between subgroups on the basis of psychometric data and markers of fear expression. Cluster analysis reliably revealed five clusters that systematically differed in mean responses, differentiation between conditioned threat and safety, and linearity of the generalization gradients, though mean response levels accounted for most variance. Remarkably, the patterns of mean responses were already evident during fear acquisition and corresponded most closely to psychometric measures of anxiety traits. The identified clusters reliably described subgroups of healthy individuals with distinct response characteristics in a fear generalization test. Following a dimensional view of psychopathology, these clusters likely delineate risk factors for anxiety disorders. As crucial group characteristics were already evident during fear acquisition, our results emphasize the importance of average fear responses and differentiation between conditioned threat and safety as risk factors for anxiety disorders.

Effects of an Anxiety-Specific Psychometric Factor on Fear Conditioning and Fear Generalization

2017 ◽  
Vol 225 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Baumann ◽  
Miriam A. Schiele ◽  
Martin J. Herrmann ◽  
Tina B. Lonsdorf ◽  
Peter Zwanzger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Fear Generalization

Abstract. Conditioning and generalization of fear are assumed to play central roles in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. Here we investigate the influence of a psychometric anxiety-specific factor on these two processes, thus try to identify a potential risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders. To this end, 126 healthy participants were examined with questionnaires assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression and with a fear conditioning and generalization paradigm. A principal component analysis of the questionnaire data identified two factors representing the constructs anxiety and depression. Variations in fear conditioning and fear generalization were solely associated with the anxiety factor characterized by anxiety sensitivity and agoraphobic cognitions; high-anxious individuals exhibited stronger fear responses (arousal) during conditioning and stronger generalization effects for valence and UCS-expectancy ratings. Thus, the revealed psychometric factor “anxiety” was associated with enhanced fear generalization, an assumed risk factor for anxiety disorders. These results ask for replication with a longitudinal design allowing to examine their predictive validity.

Sex Differences in Anxiety Disorders

2019 ◽  
pp. 404-432
Author(s):  
Teresa A. Piggott ◽  
Alexandra N. Duran ◽  
Isha Jalnapurkar ◽  
Tyler Kimm ◽  
Stephanie Linscheid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Psychosocial Influences ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Women are more likely than men to meet lifetime criteria for an anxiety disorder. Moreover, anxiety is a risk factor for the development of other psychiatric conditions, including major depression. Numerous studies have identified evidence of sex differences in anxiety disorders, and there is considerable research concerning factors that may contribute to vulnerability for anxiety in females. In addition to psychosocial influences, biological components such as the female reproductive hormone cycle have also been implicated. Although psychotropic medication is more likely to be prescribed to women, there is little controlled data available concerning sex differences in the efficacy and/or tolerability of pharmacotherapy in anxiety disorders. This chapter provides an overview of the impact of gender in the epidemiology, phenomenology, course, and treatment response in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder (PD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

scholarly journals Understanding the nature of association between anxiety phenotypes and anorexia nervosa: a triangulation approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Caitlin Lloyd ◽  
Hannah M. Sallis ◽  
Bas Verplanken ◽  
Anne M. Haase ◽  
Marcus R. Munafò
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Causal Effects ◽  
Observational Research ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genetic Liability ◽  
Depressed Affect

Abstract Background Evidence from observational studies suggests an association between anxiety disorders and anorexia nervosa (AN), but causal inference is complicated by the potential for confounding in these studies. We triangulate evidence across a longitudinal study and a Mendelian randomization (MR) study, to evaluate whether there is support for anxiety disorder phenotypes exerting a causal effect on AN risk. Methods Study One assessed longitudinal associations of childhood worry and anxiety disorders with lifetime AN in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Study Two used two-sample MR to evaluate: causal effects of worry, and genetic liability to anxiety disorders, on AN risk; causal effects of genetic liability to AN on anxiety outcomes; and the causal influence of worry on anxiety disorder development. The independence of effects of worry, relative to depressed affect, on AN and anxiety disorder outcomes, was explored using multivariable MR. Analyses were completed using summary statistics from recent genome-wide association studies. Results Study One did not support an association between worry and subsequent AN, but there was strong evidence for anxiety disorders predicting increased risk of AN. Study Two outcomes supported worry causally increasing AN risk, but did not support a causal effect of anxiety disorders on AN development, or of AN on anxiety disorders/worry. Findings also indicated that worry causally influences anxiety disorder development. Multivariable analysis estimates suggested the influence of worry on both AN and anxiety disorders was independent of depressed affect. Conclusions Overall our results provide mixed evidence regarding the causal role of anxiety exposures in AN aetiology. The inconsistency between outcomes of Studies One and Two may be explained by limitations surrounding worry assessment in Study One, confounding of the anxiety disorder and AN association in observational research, and low power in MR analyses probing causal effects of genetic liability to anxiety disorders. The evidence for worry acting as a causal risk factor for anxiety disorders and AN supports targeting worry for prevention of both outcomes. Further research should clarify how a tendency to worry translates into AN risk, and whether anxiety disorder pathology exerts any causal effect on AN.

The role of personality traits in initiating and maintaining addictive behavior

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S307-S307
Author(s):  
M. Manea ◽  
B. Savu
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Psychiatric Clinic ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Addictive Disorder ◽  
Substance Disorders ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionIt is well known that certain personality traits are more linked to drug abuse than others. Psychiatrists are more likely to emphasize the importance of impulsivity in the connection with substance disorders but in the following study we found an important percentage of patients that have a substance abuse were linked to anxiety through impulsiveness as a personality trait.ObjectivesMost youths admitted for a substance abuse are highly impulsive. Our quest was to differentiate what component of impulsivity was more frequently linked to a substance use disorder.MethodsIn the study were included 50 patients admitted in the 3rd Psychiatric Clinic, Substance Dependences Department, Cluj-Napoca. For the identification of the drug abused we used the multitest screening kit in correlation with the results from the Forensic Medicine Institute of Cluj-Napoca. Each patient completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and the Swedish Universities Scales of Personality.ResultsHigh scores on BIS-11 strongly correlated with attentional impulsiveness (Pearson's r correlation = .838) which means high inattention and cognitive instability this being linked with anxiety disorders. Cognitive Instability was correlated with Psychic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.29) and Motor Impulsiveness with Somatic Trait Anxiety (r = 0.3). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.ConclusionsThe underrecognized anxiety disorders in young adults whom are admitted for an addictive disorder prefrontal cortex is known to be the source of both impulsivity and could be linked to anxiety as well (valence asymmetry hypothesis). Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Growth of prefrontal and limbic brain regions and anxiety disorders in children born very preterm

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Courtney P. Gilchrist ◽  
Deanne K. Thompson ◽  
Bonnie Alexander ◽  
Claire E. Kelly ◽  
Karli Treyvaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Very Preterm ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Children born very preterm (VP) display altered growth in corticolimbic structures compared with full-term peers. Given the association between the cortiocolimbic system and anxiety, this study aimed to compare developmental trajectories of corticolimbic regions in VP children with and without anxiety diagnosis at 13 years. Methods MRI data from 124 VP children were used to calculate whole brain and corticolimbic region volumes at term-equivalent age (TEA), 7 and 13 years. The presence of an anxiety disorder was assessed at 13 years using a structured clinical interview. Results VP children who met criteria for an anxiety disorder at 13 years (n = 16) displayed altered trajectories for intracranial volume (ICV, p < 0.0001), total brain volume (TBV, p = 0.029), the right amygdala (p = 0.0009) and left hippocampus (p = 0.029) compared with VP children without anxiety (n = 108), with trends in the right hippocampus (p = 0.062) and left medial orbitofrontal cortex (p = 0.079). Altered trajectories predominantly reflected slower growth in early childhood (0–7 years) for ICV (β = −0.461, p = 0.020), TBV (β = −0.503, p = 0.021), left (β = −0.518, p = 0.020) and right hippocampi (β = −0.469, p = 0.020) and left medial orbitofrontal cortex (β = −0.761, p = 0.020) and did not persist after adjusting for TBV and social risk. Conclusions Region- and time-specific alterations in the development of the corticolimbic system in children born VP may help to explain an increase in anxiety disorders observed in this population.

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