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Altered Interoceptive Processing in Generalized Anxiety Disorder-A Heartbeat-Evoked Potential Research
Jiaoyan Pang1,2, Xiaochen Tang1, Hui Li1
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|September 24, 2019
Summary
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves altered brain processing of internal body signals. Healthy individuals modulate heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEP) differently than GAD patients, suggesting a neural basis for the condition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent mental health condition.
- Dysfunctional interoceptive processing is implicated in anxiety disorders, but neural mechanisms are unclear.
- Interoception refers to the processing of internal bodily signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms of interoceptive processing in GAD.
- To examine heartbeat-evoked brain potentials (HEP) under different sensory conditions in GAD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous electrocardiography (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings were used.
- Participants underwent eyes-closed (interoception) and eyes-open (exteroception) resting states.
- Heartbeat-evoked brain potentials (HEP) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Healthy controls showed significant HEP modulation between conditions (EC > EO).
- GAD patients did not exhibit significant HEP modulation, with potentially excessive interoceptive processing (higher HEP in EO).
- Right prefrontal HEP amplitude during EC correlated with GAD symptom severity.
Conclusions:
- Altered cortical processing of interoceptive signals is suggested in the pathophysiology of GAD.
- HEP modulation differences may represent a neural biomarker for GAD.
- Findings highlight the role of interoception in anxiety disorders.
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