How does anxiety affect an individual's bias towards fear stimuli?5 answersAnxiety influences an individual's bias towards fear stimuli by impacting attentional processes. Studies have shown that anxiety levels can affect attentional bias towards threatening stimuli. Specifically, individuals with high anxiety levels may exhibit a negative bias and experience anxiety when processing uncertain information. Moreover, individuals with higher trait-anxiety levels are significantly more influenced by blocked presentations of negative affective information, leading to greater temporal fluctuations in attentional bias. This suggests that anxiety plays a crucial role in modulating attention towards fear-related stimuli, influencing how individuals perceive and respond to threatening cues.
How does anxiety affect threat bias in autistic adults?5 answersAnxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) does not consistently lead to the expected threat-related attentional biases seen in non-ASD populations. While anxiety typically correlates with increased attentional suppression towards threats in non-ASD individuals, in ASD individuals, anxiety levels do not necessarily result in heightened threat bias or attentional capture. Research suggests that anxiety in ASD may not be primarily driven by hypersensitivity to threats, as seen in non-ASD populations. Additionally, anxiety levels in ASD individuals do not always correlate with attentional biases towards threatening stimuli. These findings indicate that the cognitive mechanisms underlying anxiety and threat bias in autistic adults may differ from those observed in neurotypical individuals, highlighting the complexity of anxiety manifestations in the context of ASD.
Amygdala and anxiety disorders5 answersThe amygdala is implicated in anxiety disorders, with abnormal amygdala function observed in patients compared to healthy individuals. Radiomics features of the amygdala have been investigated as potential markers for distinguishing anxiety disorder and its subtypes from healthy controls. Functional connectivity patterns of amygdala subregions, particularly with the default mode network, have been found to play a role in panic disorder. Genetic factors have also been implicated in amygdaloid disorders, with certain genetic variants associated with hyperresponsive amygdala and increased risk for anxiety-related conditions. Additionally, synaptic adhesion proteins such as Neuroligin 2 and IgSF9b have been shown to contribute to anxiety regulation through their effects on inhibitory synapses in the amygdala. Structural and functional changes in amygdala-based circuits have been observed in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, with covariations between amygdala structural covariance and functional connectivity.
What is loss aversion?4 answersLoss aversion refers to the phenomenon where the disutility of a loss is greater than the utility of an equivalent gain. It can be explained through neuroeconomics and evolutionary psychology. The brain mechanisms of loss aversion involve two systems: the subjective value evaluation system, which includes the striatum and prefrontal cortex and is associated with assessing subjective value, and the emotional arousal system, which includes the amygdala and insula and is related to negative emotions like disgust. Loss aversion has been studied in various contexts, such as animal behavioral decision-making and real estate development decisions. It has also been linked to risk for cigarette smoking and substance use, with lower loss aversion observed in individuals who smoke compared to former smokers and non-smokers. Loss aversion may influence or be influenced by changes in smoking status.
Does loss aversion lead to risk seeking behaviour in the domain of losses?5 answersLoss aversion can lead to risk-seeking behavior in the domain of losses. Individuals who are loss averse show a higher sensitivity to potential losses than to gains, and this can result in a reduced aversion to risk when faced with potential losses. In intertemporal decision making, future losses are discounted less than future gains, leading to a phenomenon called Hyperopic Loss Aversion. This can result in mixed lotteries involving both gains and losses becoming less attractive over time. Additionally, in the context of social image concerns, individuals who experience a decline in rank and care about social image are more likely to engage in lying behavior to improve their rank, indicating loss aversion in social image concerns. Overall, these findings suggest that loss aversion can indeed lead to risk-seeking behavior in the domain of losses.
What are the neurofeedback targets for anxiety?5 answersNeurofeedback targets for anxiety include enhancing connectivity between the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and the amygdala, as well as activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right insula. These targets have been shown to be relevant for anxiety regulation and have been successfully modulated through neurofeedback training. Studies have demonstrated that training the target pathway between the vlPFC and amygdala can increase connectivity and decrease anxiety levels. Additionally, neurofeedback based on activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right insula has facilitated anxiety regulation in spider phobia, leading to lower anxiety levels and down-regulation of insula activation. Neurofeedback training has also been found to be effective in improving symptoms of anxiety in nonclinical samples. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of neurofeedback as a viable method for targeting and regulating anxiety.