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Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Drabant, EM; Kuo, JR; Ramel, W; Blechert, J; Edge, MD; Cooper, JR; Goldin, PR; Hariri, AR; Gross, JJ
Published in: NeuroImage
March 2011

Anticipatory emotional responses play a crucial role in preparing individuals for impending challenges. They do this by triggering a coordinated set of changes in behavioral, autonomic, and neural response systems. In the present study, we examined the biobehavioral impact of varying levels of anticipatory anxiety, using a shock anticipation task in which unpredictable electric shocks were threatened and delivered to the wrist at variable intervals and intensities (safe, medium, strong). This permitted investigation of a dynamic range of anticipatory anxiety responses. In two studies, 95 and 51 healthy female participants, respectively, underwent this shock anticipation task while providing continuous ratings of anxiety experience and electrodermal responding (Study 1) and during fMRI BOLD neuroimaging (Study 2). Results indicated a step-wise pattern of responding in anxiety experience and electrodermal responses. Several brain regions showed robust responses to shock anticipation relative to safe trials, including the hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, caudate, precentral gyrus, thalamus, insula, ventrolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, and ACC. A subset of these regions demonstrated a linear pattern of increased responding from safe to medium to strong trials, including the bilateral insula, ACC, and inferior frontal gyrus. These responses were modulated by individual differences in neuroticism, such that those high in neuroticism showed exaggerated anxiety experience across the entire task, and reduced brain activation from medium to strong trials in a subset of brain regions. These findings suggest that individual differences in neuroticism may influence sensitivity to anticipatory threat and provide new insights into the mechanism through which neuroticism may confer risk for developing anxiety disorders via dysregulated anticipatory responses.

Duke Scholars

Published In

NeuroImage

DOI

EISSN

1095-9572

ISSN

1053-8119

Publication Date

March 2011

Volume

55

Issue

1

Start / End Page

401 / 410

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Problem-Based Learning
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Neurotic Disorders
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fear
  • Brain
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Drabant, E. M., Kuo, J. R., Ramel, W., Blechert, J., Edge, M. D., Cooper, J. R., … Gross, J. J. (2011). Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism. NeuroImage, 55(1), 401–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.040
Drabant, Emily M., Janice R. Kuo, Wiveka Ramel, Jens Blechert, Michael D. Edge, Jeff R. Cooper, Philippe R. Goldin, Ahmad R. Hariri, and James J. Gross. “Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism.NeuroImage 55, no. 1 (March 2011): 401–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.040.
Drabant EM, Kuo JR, Ramel W, Blechert J, Edge MD, Cooper JR, et al. Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism. NeuroImage. 2011 Mar;55(1):401–10.
Drabant, Emily M., et al. “Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism.NeuroImage, vol. 55, no. 1, Mar. 2011, pp. 401–10. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.040.
Drabant EM, Kuo JR, Ramel W, Blechert J, Edge MD, Cooper JR, Goldin PR, Hariri AR, Gross JJ. Experiential, autonomic, and neural responses during threat anticipation vary as a function of threat intensity and neuroticism. NeuroImage. 2011 Mar;55(1):401–410.
Journal cover image

Published In

NeuroImage

DOI

EISSN

1095-9572

ISSN

1053-8119

Publication Date

March 2011

Volume

55

Issue

1

Start / End Page

401 / 410

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Problem-Based Learning
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Neurotic Disorders
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fear
  • Brain