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Abnormal hemispheric specialization and inter-hemispheric functional cooperation in generalized anxiety disorder.
Qianqian Li1, Ting Zhang2, Jie Meng3
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China; Department of Psychology and Sleep Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
Behavioural Brain Research
|September 10, 2023
Summary
General anxiety disorder (GAD) is linked to right-hemisphere specialization and impaired inter-hemispheric communication. These brain connectivity changes correlate with anxiety symptom severity in GAD patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- General anxiety disorder (GAD) pathogenesis may involve abnormal hemispheric specialization and inter-hemispheric interactions.
- Understanding these brain abnormalities is crucial for GAD treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate hemispheric specialization and inter-hemispheric interaction abnormalities in GAD patients.
- Examine the correlation between these brain abnormalities and anxiety symptom severity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in 73 GAD patients and 60 healthy controls.
- Applied Autonomy Index (AI) and Connectivity between Functionally Homotopic voxels (CFH) for analysis.
- Performed seed-based analysis focusing on the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG).
Main Results:
- GAD patients exhibited stronger right-hemispheric AI in the right MTG compared to controls.
- Increased functional connectivity (FC) was observed between the right MTG and right precuneus/right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in patients.
- GAD patients showed altered CFH in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilateral postcentral gyrus (PCG), and superior occipital gyrus (SOG), correlating with symptom severity.
Conclusions:
- GAD is characterized by right-hemispheric specialization and aberrant inter-hemispheric functional cooperation.
- Abnormal inter-hemispheric coordination is associated with increased anxiety symptom severity in GAD.
- Findings offer insights into the neuropathological mechanisms underlying GAD.
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