Neural correlates of speech anticipatory anxiety in generalized social phobia.
Patients with generalized social phobia fear embarrassment in most social situations. Little is known about its functional neuroanatomy. We studied BOLD-fMRI brain activity while generalized social phobics and healthy controls anticipated making public speeches. With anticipation minus rest, 8 phobics compared to 6 controls showed greater subcortical, limbic, and lateral paralimbic activity (pons, striatum, amygdala/uncus/anterior parahippocampus, insula, temporal pole)--regions important in automatic emotional processing--and less cortical activity (dorsal anterior cingulate/prefrontal cortex)--regions important in cognitive processing. Phobics may become so anxious, they cannot think clearly or vice versa.
Lorberbaum
Jeffrey P
JP
Department of Psychiatry and Center for Advanced Imaging, Medical University of South Carolina Charleston (MUSC), SC 29425, USA. lorberjp@musc.edu
Kose
Samet
S
Johnson
Michael R
MR
Arana
George W
GW
Sullivan
Lindsay K
LK
Hamner
Mark B
MB
Ballenger
James C
JC
Lydiard
R Bruce
RB
Brodrick
Peter S
PS
Bohning
Daryl E
DE
George
Mark S
MS
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D000077463:Carbamide Peroxide; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013060:Speech; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
D004338:Drug Combinations; D010545:Peroxides; D000077463:Carbamide Peroxide; D014508:Urea