Prefrontal cortical function and anxiety: controlling attention to threat-related stimuli
Prefrontal cortical function and anxiety: controlling attention to threat-related stimuli
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DOI：
10.1038/nn1173
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发表时间：
2004-02-01
影响因子：
25
通讯作者：
Lawrence, AD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bishop, S;Duncan, J;Lawrence, AD
与威胁相关的刺激是注意力的强有力竞争者，特别是在焦虑的个体中。我们使用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）与健康的人类志愿者研究如何处理与威胁相关的干扰，以及是否随着焦虑水平的增加而改变。我们的工作建立在先前的分析的认知控制功能的外侧前额叶皮层（外侧PFC）和前扣带皮层（ACC）。我们发现，吻侧ACC强烈激活罕见的威胁相关的干扰，一致的作用，这一领域在应对意外的处理冲突所造成的显着的情绪刺激。随着对威胁相关干扰物的预期的建立，焦虑水平较高的参与者表现出整体上较低的喙侧前扣带回活动和减少的外侧PFC募集。这支持了焦虑与减少对威胁相关干扰的自上而下控制有关的提议。我们的研究结果表明，不同的角色，头侧ACC和外侧PFC在管理任务无关，威胁相关的刺激处理，并表明减少招聘的这一电路在焦虑。
Threat-related stimuli are strong competitors for attention, particularly in anxious individuals. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with healthy human volunteers to study how the processing of threat-related distractors is controlled and whether this alters as anxiety levels increase. Our work builds upon prior analyses of the cognitive control functions of lateral prefrontal cortex (lateral PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We found that rostral ACC was strongly activated by infrequent threat-related distractors, consistent with a role for this area in responding to unexpected processing conflict caused by salient emotional stimuli. Participants with higher anxiety levels showed both less rostral ACC activity overall and reduced recruitment of lateral PFC as expectancy of threat- related distractors was established. This supports the proposal that anxiety is associated with reduced top-down control over threat- related distractors. Our results suggest distinct roles for rostral ACC and lateral PFC in governing the processing of task-irrelevant, threat- related stimuli, and indicate reduced recruitment of this circuitry in anxiety.