title: Physiological and neural correlates of worry and rumination: Support for the contrast avoidance model of worry.
abstract: The current experiments tested neural and physiological correlates of worry and rumination in comparison to thinking about neutral events. According to the avoidance model-stating that worry is a strategy to reduce intense emotions-physiological and neurobiological activity during worried thinking should not differ from activation during neutral thinking. According to the contrast avoidance model-stating that worry is a strategy to reduce abrupt shifts of emotions-activity should be increased. To test these competing models, we induced worry and neutral thinking in healthy participants using personal topics. A rumination condition was added to investigate the specificity of changes induced by the mental process. Two experiments were conducted assessing the effects on different response levels: (1) neural activation using fMRI, and (2) physiological response mobilization using startle and autonomic measures. During worry, participants showed a potentiated startle response and BOLD activity indicative of emotional network activation. These data partly support the contrast avoidance model of worry. Both mental processes showed elevated activity in a common network referred to as default network indicating self-referential activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisa C K
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Steinfurth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuela G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Alius
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Alfons O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Hamm
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D013216:Reflex, Startle; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; Neural networks; Rumination; Startle potentiation; Worry; fMRI