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Enhanced functional connectivity between sensorimotor and visual cortex predicts covariation bias in spider phobia
1Institute of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Biological Psychology
|January 26, 2016
Summary
Spider phobics show an overestimation bias linking spiders to pain, linked to brain connectivity. Enhanced connectivity between sensory areas and the prefrontal cortex may influence this fear bias.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Covariation bias, the overestimation of associations between fear-relevant stimuli and aversive outcomes, may maintain anxiety disorders.
- Previous fMRI studies show spider phobics exhibit enhanced sensorimotor cortex activity in response to aversive stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity differences in spider phobia during fear-related associative learning.
- To explore the neural mechanisms underlying covariation bias in spider phobia.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine brain activity and functional connectivity in spider phobic and healthy control participants.
- Participants were presented with images of spiders, mushrooms, and puppies, randomly followed by electric stimuli (US).
Main Results:
- Spider phobics, unlike controls, showed increased connectivity between the paracentral lobule (PCL) and the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) following USs after spider images.
- Covariation bias was predicted by connectivity between PCL and visual cortex, insula, and somatosensory areas.
- Reduced covariation bias correlated with increased PCL-PFC connectivity.
Conclusions:
- Synchronous activity in sensory cortices may facilitate fear-sustaining associative biases in spider phobia.
- Right prefrontal cortex connectivity may play a role in modulating and reducing this fear-related bias.
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