title: Conditioned Fear Acquisition and Generalization in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
abstract: Abnormal fear conditioning processes (including fear acquisition and conditioned fear-generalization) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. Previous research has shown that individuals with panic disorder present enhanced conditioned fear-generalization in comparison to healthy controls. Enhanced conditioned fear-generalization could also characterize generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but research so far is inconclusive. An important confounding factor in previous research is comorbidity. The present study examined conditioned fear-acquisition and fear-generalization in 28 patients with GAD and 30 healthy controls using a recently developed fear acquisition and generalization paradigm assessing fear-potentiated startle and online expectancies of the unconditioned stimulus. Analyses focused on GAD patients without comorbidity but included also patients with comorbid anxiety disorders. Patients and controls did not differ as regards fear acquisition. However, contrary to our hypothesis, both groups did not differ either in most indexes of conditioned fear-generalization. Moreover, dimensional measures of GAD symptoms were not correlated with conditioned fear-generalization indexes. Comorbidity did not have a significant impact on the results. Our data suggest that conditioned fear-generalization is not enhanced in GAD. Results are discussed with special attention to the possible effects of comorbidity on fear learning abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra.
authors.forename: Daniella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tinoco-González
authors.affiliation: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra; Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Hospital del Mar, Parc de Salut MAR, Barcelona. Electronic address: miguelangelfullana@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Miquel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fullana
authors.affiliation: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Torrents-Rodas
authors.affiliation: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonillo
authors.affiliation: Leuven University.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vervliet
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Hospital del Mar, Parc de Salut MAR, Barcelona.
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Blasco
authors.affiliation: Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Parc de Salut MAR, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Magí
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farré
authors.affiliation: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Torrubia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005795:Generalization, Stimulus; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D010698:Phobic Disorders; D013216:Reflex, Startle; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: fear conditioning; fear generalization; generalized anxiety disorder