Antisaccade performance in spider phobia and its association with multimodal correlates of fear

This study explored inhibitory control in spider phobic (SP) and healthy control (HC) individuals using an emotional antisaccade task. Attentional control theory (ACT) suggests anxiety related deficits in inhibitory control, yet studies on antisaccade performance in anxiety disordered patients are sparse. This study addressed this research gap and additionally aimed to explore putative associations of antisaccade performance with multimodal measures of fear of spiders.

A sample of 76 participants (41 SP, 35 HC) completed an antisaccade task, employing schematic pictures of spiders and flowers. We measured antisaccade latencies and error rates, respectively. In a free-viewing task, we obtained psychophysiological and subjective fear responses to pictures of spiders. Self-rated fear of spiders was assessed via questionnaires and avoidance behavior was assessed in a behavioral avoidance test.

Contrary to ACT predictions, SP exhibited shorter antisaccade latencies irrespective of stimulus category, indexing more efficient inhibitory control, while showing no differences in antisaccade error rates when compared to HC. Consistent with prior findings, SP participants showed elevated psychophysiological responding, fear ratings and avoidance behavior. No significant associations emerged between inhibitory control performance and these measures of fear.

Our findings suggest enhanced inhibitory control efficiency in SP compared to HC, contrasting impairments predicted by ACT and observed in subclinical anxiety. These findings may indicate a compensatory adaptation in anxiety disorders, enabling rapid attentional avoidance of threat. Our results also imply that inhibitory control may be differentially affected across various anxiety disorders, depending on their predisposition towards fear or anxiety, while also being independent from diverse measures of fear and anxiety.