title: The neural representation of intrusive thoughts.
abstract: Based on the philosophical notion that language embodies thought we investigated whether a habitual tendency for intrusive thought that younger and older participants report over a period of 100 sessions, spread out over about 6 months, is associated with brain regions related to language production. In favour of this hypothesis, we found that individual differences in habitual intrusive thoughts are correlated with activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, Broca's area) as well as the cingulate cortex (CC) during a two-choice reaction-time task in fMRI. Participants who habitually tended to experience intrusive thoughts showed greater activity during task-free (baseline) compared to task periods in brain regions involved in language production. Task performance was unrelated to individual differences in intrusive thoughts. We conclude that intrusive thoughts may be represented in a language-like format and that individuals reporting a habitually higher tendency for intrusive thoughts may have stronger and more habitual inner speech processes.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Experimental Psychology and Ghent Institute for Functional and Metabolic Imaging, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium. kuehn@mpib-berlin.mpg.de
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schmiedek
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brose
authors.forename: Björn H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Schott
authors.forename: Ulman
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lindenberger
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lövden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007802:Language; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen