Logo image
Back
13. Anticipatory Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity Predicts Development of Anxiety Symptoms in Inhibited Children
Abstract   Peer reviewed

13. Anticipatory Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity Predicts Development of Anxiety Symptoms in Inhibited Children

Jacqueline Clauss, Uma Rao and Jennifer Blackford
Biological psychiatry (1969), Vol.81(10 Suppl), pp.S6-S6
05/15/2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.02.024

View Online

Abstract

Background Anxiety disorders are common, debilitating, have an early onset, and have a known risk factor, childhood inhibited temperament. However, it remains unknown why some, but not all, inhibited children go on to develop anxiety disorders later in life. Inhibited children and adults have alterations in brain activation when anticipating and viewing social stimuli. Alterations in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity may predict the development of anxiety symptoms. Increased ACC activity has been associated with worry and rumination. Methods Baseline self-report and parent-report of temperament and anxiety symptoms and functional MRI data were collected on 40 children ages 8-10 years (20 inhibited, 20 uninhibited). Functional MRI data were collected during the anticipation and viewing of fear faces, neutral faces, and neutral objects. Two years later, temperament and anxiety follow-up data were collected. We hypothesized that ACC activation during the anticipation of fear faces at baseline would predict changes in anxiety symptoms within inhibited children. Results Across both groups, there was a significant decrease in self-report of anxiety symptoms over time (p<.01); however, there was no significant change in self-report of anxiety symptoms within the inhibited group. Within the inhibited group, increased ACC activation at baseline during anticipation of fear faces was associated with increases in self-report of anxiety symptoms over two years (p<.05). Conclusions Early patterns of ACC activation may be protective against the development of anxiety symptoms in high-risk, inhibited children. Teaching children to disengage the ACC during periods of anticipation or preparation may help to prevent anxiety symptoms in high-risk, inhibited children. Supported By the National Institute for General Medical Studies (T32-GM07347 to Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program; JAC); the National Institute of Mental Health (T32-MH018921); the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (UL1-TR000445-06); the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science
 inhibited temperament social anxiety Anterior Cingulate Cortex Developmental trajectories BOLD fMRI

Details

Metrics

1 Record Views
Logo image