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Exploring the correlation between frequency-dependent brain activity and cognitive function in social anxiety
Junbing He1, Nadire Aximu2, Tokiko Yoshida3
1Research Center for Child Mental Development, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
Brain Research Bulletin
|November 14, 2025
Summary
Cognitive function in social anxiety disorder (SAD) is linked to abnormal brain activity in the postcentral gyrus. Reduced low-frequency brain fluctuations correlate with cognitive impairments in SAD patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is common, but its neural basis and cognitive impacts are not fully understood.
- Previous research has not linked frequency-dependent brain activity to cognitive performance in SAD using rs-fMRI.
- This study investigates the relationship between spontaneous brain activity and cognitive function in SAD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine frequency-dependent alterations in brain activity in patients with SAD.
- To assess cognitive function in SAD patients using neuropsychological tests.
- To correlate brain activity abnormalities with cognitive performance and clinical symptoms in SAD.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was used to collect data from 27 SAD patients and 40 healthy controls (HCs).
- Frequency-dependent alterations in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were analyzed across typical, slow-5, and slow-4 frequency bands.
- Cognitive function was evaluated using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, and correlations were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Patients with SAD exhibited lower mean fALFF (mfALFF) in the bilateral postcentral gyrus across typical and slow-5 bands, and in the left postcentral gyrus for the slow-4 band, compared to HCs.
- No significant association was found between mfALFF and the severity of clinical symptoms.
- Significant correlations were identified between mfALFF and cognitive functioning in SAD patients.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive deficits in SAD are associated with frequency-dependent abnormalities in spontaneous brain activity, specifically reduced mfALFF in the postcentral gyrus.
- Frequency-dependent neural markers, like those in the postcentral gyrus, may aid in identifying and treating cognitive dysfunction in SAD.
- Abnormalities in postcentral gyrus activity could be a key factor in the neural mechanisms underlying SAD.
Keywords:
Cognitive functionFractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuationResting-state functional MRISocial anxiety disorderThe Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)More Related Videos
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