Brain activation during anticipatory anxiety in social anxiety disorder.
Exaggerated anticipatory anxiety during expectation of performance-related situations is an important feature of the psychopathology of social anxiety disorder (SAD). The neural basis of anticipatory anxiety in SAD has not been investigated in controlled studies. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates during the anticipation of public and evaluated speaking vs a control condition in 17 SAD patients and 17 healthy control subjects. FMRI results show increased activation of the insula and decreased activation of the ventral striatum in SAD patients, compared to control subjects during anticipation of a speech vs the control condition. In addition, an activation of the amygdala in SAD patients during the first half of the anticipation phase in the speech condition was observed. Finally, the amount of anticipatory anxiety of SAD patients was negatively correlated to the activation of the ventral striatum. This suggests an association between incentive function, motivation and anticipatory anxiety when SAD patients expect a performance situation.
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany stephanie.boehme@uni-jena.de.
Stephanie
S
Boehme
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Viktoria
V
Ritter
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Susan
S
Tefikow
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Ulrich
U
Stangier
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Strauss
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Wolfgang H R
WH
Miltner
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Varrentrappstr. 40-42, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital-Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, D-07740 Jena and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Thomas
T
Straube
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012919:Social Behavior; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen
amygdala; anticipatory anxiety; fMRI; insula; social phobia; ventral striatum