Role of the Locus Coeruleus in Response to Threat in Anxiety Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Ultra-High-Field 7T Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

By harnessing the enhanced spatial resolution and signal power of high-field 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we assessed the functional involvement of the locus coeruleus (LC), together with the broader threat circuitry, in anxious arousal among individuals with anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods

Sixty-nine individuals with and without anxiety disorders or PTSD completed a modified no (N), predictable (P), and unpredictable (U) (NPU) threat task during a 7T functional MRI scan. Anxious arousal was measured using the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire anxious arousal subscale. Individual data-driven LC segmentations were derived from ultra-high-resolution magnetization transfer contrast scans. We conducted LC functional act

SUBMITTER: Boukezzi SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12538064 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature