Increased error-related brain activity in generalized anxiety disorder
Research highlights
▶ Enhanced ERN demonstrated in clinical sample of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). ▶ Larger ERN associated with increased self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. ▶ Effect specific to early indices of error-monitoring.
Section snippets
Participant recruitment and screening
Subsequent to approval by the institutional review board at Stony Brook University, participants were recruited from the community via electronic and print advertisements. All potential participants were phone-screened prior to their arrival, in order to rule out current anti-depressant medication usage and history of traumatic brain injury or systemic or neurological illness. In addition, the phone screen consisted of a modified version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview
Behavioral data
Accuracy and RT data are presented in Table 2. Reaction time varied significantly as a function of accuracy (F(1, 37) = 86.40, p < .001; ; observed power = 1.00), such that participants were faster on error (M = 340.76, SD = 55.76) than correct trials (M = 425.56, SD = 52.90). Males and females did not differ in RT (F(1,37) < 1; ; observed power = .05), nor did the effect of gender vary by Trial Type (F(1,37) = 3.39, p = .08; ; observed power = .43), or group type (F(1,37) = 1.43, p = .24; ;
Discussion
Consistent with work in other anxiety disorders (Endrass et al., 2008, Endrass et al., 2010, Gehring et al., 2000, Hajcak et al., 2008, Johannes et al., 2001, Stern et al., 2010), individuals with GAD were characterized by increased error-related brain activity. More specifically, both an enhanced ERN and a greater difference between the ERN and the CRN distinguished the GAD from the HC group. Across both groups, greater continuous measures of anxious distress were associated with a larger ERN.
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