Citation

Fonzo GA, Ramsawh HJ, Flagan TM, Sullivan SG, Letamendi A, Simmons AN, Paulus MP, Stein MB. Br. J. Psychiatry 2015; 206(3): 206-215.

Affiliation

Gregory A. Fonzo, MS, San Diego State University/University of California-San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, California; Holly J. Ramsawh, PhD, Taru M. Flagan, BS, Sarah G. Sullivan, BA, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California; Andrea Letamendi, MS, San Diego State University/University of California-San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, California; Alan N. Simmons, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego and Center of Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, San Diego, California; Martin P. Paulus, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego and Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego and Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.114.149880

PMID

25573399

PMCID

PMC4345308

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although evidence exists for abnormal brain function across various anxiety disorders, direct comparison of neural function across diagnoses is needed to elicit abnormalities common across disorders and those distinct to a particular diagnosis. AIMS: To delineate common and distinct abnormalities within generalised anxiety (GAD), panic and social anxiety disorder (SAD) during affective processing.

METHOD: Fifty-nine adults (15 with GAD, 15 with panic disorder, 14 with SAD, and 15 healthy controls) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing a facial emotion matching task with fearful, angry and happy faces.

RESULTS: Greater differential right amygdala activation to matching fearful v. happy facial expressions related to greater negative affectivity (i.e. trait anxiety) and was heightened across all anxiety disorder groups compared with controls. Collapsing across emotional face types, participants with panic disorder uniquely displayed greater posterior insula activation.

CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results highlight a common neural basis for clinical anxiety in these diagnoses and also suggest the presence of disorder-specific dysfunction.

Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Language: en