Anticipation of peer evaluation in anxious adolescents: divergence in neural activation and maturation.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence is the time of peak onset for many anxiety disorders, particularly Social Anxiety Disorder. Research using simulated social interactions consistently finds differential activation in several brain regions in anxious (vs non-anxious) youth, including amygdala, striatum and medial prefrontal cortex. However, few studies examined the anticipation of peer interactions, a key component in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Youth completed the Chatroom Task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patterns of neural activation were assessed in anxious and non-anxious youth as they were cued to anticipate social feedback from peers. Anxious participants evidenced greater amygdala activation and rostral anterior cingulate (rACC)↔amygdala coupling than non

SUBMITTER: Spielberg JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4526485 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature