Executive Dysfunction Across Anxiety Severity Level: Evidence for Cognitive Plateau.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Anxiety disorders are increasingly linked to neurocognitive deficits in executive functions like working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility.
• Indian research has historically focused on emotional and behavioral aspects, neglecting the neuropsychological underpinnings of anxiety severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between anxiety severity and executive functioning.
• To identify differences in executive functioning across mild, moderate, and severe anxiety groups.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 60 patients categorized by anxiety severity (mild, moderate, severe) using the PROMIS Anxiety-Adult Short Form.
• Neuropsychological assessments included the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMI), Stroop Test (inhibitory control), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (conceptual processing).
• Statistical analyses comprised ANOVA, post hoc tests, chi-square, Pearson's correlations, and linear regression.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in WMI, Stroop Test, and WCST performance were observed across anxiety severity groups (p < .001).
• Individuals with mild anxiety outperformed those with moderate and severe anxiety; no significant difference was found between moderate and severe groups.
• Anxiety severity showed a negative correlation with executive functioning (r = -0.45 to -0.61, p < .01), predicting 20%-37% of performance variance.

Conclusions:

• Executive dysfunction escalates with anxiety severity, with cognitive decline stabilizing between moderate and severe levels.
• Anxiety severity is a critical determinant of working memory, inhibitory control, and conceptual processing.
• The findings advocate for integrating neuropsychological assessment and cognitive rehabilitation into anxiety management protocols in India.