Anxious people are wired differently: A new study on anxiety and brain activity

Anxious people exhibit distinct brain activity in socially challenging situations, as demonstrated by brain scans conducted by scientists.

The study revealed that when facing situations like approaching a potential romantic interest, anxious people engage a less suitable region of the forebrain compared to non-anxious counterparts.

This contributes to difficulty in choosing alternative behaviors, often leading anxious individuals to avoid such social scenarios.

A new experiment

In a simulated social situation, people were shown happy and angry faces, tasked with moving a joystick towards or away from them based on changing instructions.

Both anxious and non-anxious people performed similarly in the task, but brain scans unveiled divergent brain regions at play.

Non-anxious people displayed signals from the foremost part of the prefrontal cortex to the motor cortex for emotional control, whereas anxious participants employed a less efficient region of the same prefrontal area.

Overstimulation of the 'correct' region in anxious individuals potentially explains their challenge in opting for alternative behavior and avoiding social situations, hindering their realization that these situations are not as negative as perceived.

Why it's helpful

These findings, revealing distinctive brain activity in emotionally controlling behavior, could potentially pave the way for novel treatments targeting anxiety.

This marks an important stride in understanding the neurological mechanisms underlying anxiety and offers insights for therapeutic advancements.
 

• Related news:
• research
• communication
• anxiety
• 30 August 2023

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