scholarly journals Nucleus accumbens neurochemistry in human anxiety: A 7 T 1H-MRS study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Strasser ◽  
Lijing Xin ◽  
Rolf Gruetter ◽  
Carmen Sandi
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
7 Tesla ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Situational Stress

AbstractIndividual differences in anxiety provide a differential predisposition to develop neuropsychiatric disorders. The neurochemical underpinnings of anxiety remain elusive, particularly in deep structures, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) whose involvement in anxiety is being increasingly recognized. We examined the associations between the neurochemical profile of human NAc metabolites involved in neural excitation and inhibition and inter-individual variation in temperamental and situational anxiety. Twenty-seven healthy 20-30 years-old human males were phenotyped with questionnaires for state and trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI), social anxiety (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) and fatigue (Mental and Physical State Energy and Fatigue Scales, SEF). Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) at 7 Tesla (7T), we measured metabolite levels for glutamate, glutamine, GABA and taurine in the NAc with. Salivary cortisol was also measured. Strikingly, trait anxiety was negatively associated with NAc taurine content. Perceived situational stress was negatively associated with NAc GABA, while positively with the Glu/GABA ratio. These findings were specific, as no correlation was observed between NAc taurine or GABA and other phenotypic variables examined (i.e., state anxiety, social anxiety, depression, or cortisol), except for a negative correlation between taurine and state physical fatigue. This first 7T study of NAc neurochemistry shows relevant metabolite associations with individual variation in anxiety traits and situational stress and state anxiety measurements. The novel identified association between NAc taurine levels and trait anxiety may pave the way for clinical studies aimed at identifying new treatments for anxiety and related disorders.

scholarly journals State Anxiety Is Associated with Cardiovascular Reactivity in Young, Healthy African Americans

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mildred A. Pointer ◽  
Sadiqa Yancey ◽  
Ranim Abou-Chacra ◽  
Patricia Petrusi ◽  
Sandra J. Waters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Cardiovascular Reactivity ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Blood Pressure Response ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pressure Response ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Stress Tests

Although several studies have shown that enhanced cardiovascular reactivity can predict hypertension development in African Americans, these findings have not been consistent among all studies examining reactivity and hypertension susceptibility. This inconsistency may be explained by the influence of anxiety (state and trait) on the blood pressure response to stress. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether anxiety is associated with blood pressure response to cold pressor (CP) and anger recall (AR) stress tests in young healthy African Americans. Modeling using state and trait anxiety revealed that state anxiety predicts systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure DBP response to CP and AR (P≤0.02). Interestingly, state anxiety predicted heart rate changes only to CP (P<0.01;P=0.3for AR). Although trait anxiety was associated with SBP response to AR and not CP, it was not a significant predictor of reactivity in our models. We conclude that anxiety levels may contribute to the variable blood pressure response to acute stressors and, therefore, should be assessed when performing cardiovascular reactivity measures.

Relationship between Competitive Trait Anxiety, State Anxiety, and Golf Performance: A Field Study

1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Weinberg ◽  
Marvin Genuchi
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Lower State ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Muscle Coordination ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Results ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Main Effects

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the relationship between competitive trait anxiety (CTA), state anxiety, and golf performance in a field setting. Ten low, moderate, and high CTA collegiate golfers (N = 30) performed in a practice round on Day 1 and Day 2 of a competitive tournament. State anxiety results indicated a significant CTA main effect with low CTA subjects displaying lower state anxiety than moderate or high CTA subjects. The competition main effect was also significant, with post hoc tests indicating higher levels of state anxiety during Day 1 and Day 2 than during the practice round. Performance results produced a significant CTA main effect with low CTA subjects displaying higher levels of performance than moderate or high CTA subjects. Correlations between SCAT and state anxiety indicated that SCAT was a good predictor of precompetitive state anxiety. The direction of state anxiety and performance CTA main effects provide support for Oxendine's (1970) contentions that sports requiring fine muscle coordination and precision (e.g., golf) are performed best at low levels of anxiety. Future directions for research are offered.

Can I Really Do This? An Examination of Anticipatory Event Processing in Social Anxiety Disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith M. Laposa ◽  
Neil A. Rector
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Event Processing ◽  
Social Events ◽  
Anticipatory Processing

Clark and Wells (1995) posit that anticipatory processing before a social situation serves to maintain social anxiety. More specifically, ruminative processes similar to post-event processing (PEP) may occur in anticipation of anxiety provoking social events, and in this article, we have labelled this type of anticipatory rumination anticipatory event processing (AnEP). Participants (n = 75) with social anxiety disorder (SAD) completed measures of anticipatory event processing, trait anxious rumination, social anxiety, state anxiety, and PEP, in the context of completing videotaped exposures twice as part of manual-based group cognitive behavioral therapy. AnEP was significantly positively associated with trait anxious rumination and social anxiety and was associated with state anxiety during the first videotaping. AnEP at the two time points was significantly correlated and decreased across the two taped exposures. Greater AnEP at the first taping was associated with greater PEP the following week. PEP after the first videotaped exposure then significantly related to AnEP for the second videotaped exposure several weeks later. Discussion focuses on the similarities between PEP and AnEP as well as implications for cognitive models and treatment of SAD.

On the Distinction between Psychological and Physical Stressors

1976 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 797-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Stress Situation ◽  
Situational Stress ◽  
Physical Danger

20 high and 20 low A-Trait Ss were exposed to dental treatment and measures of A-State were obtained before, during, and after treatment. While high scorers had higher absolute levels of A-State anxiety in this stress situation, the amount of increase was not different for the two levels of trait anxiety. The results supported trait-state anxiety theory which predicts that measures of A-State vary with the situational stress and that high- and low-trait anxious Ss do not differ in the amount of change in A-State during physical danger.

scholarly journals Estresse e ansiedade em atletas universitários de handebol no Estado de São Paulo

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Rubens Venditti Júnior ◽  
Rômulo Dantas Alves ◽  
Ivan Wallan Tertuliano ◽  
Vivian De Oliveira ◽  
Gustavo Lima Isler
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Stress Process ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
State Trait Anxiety Inventory ◽  
Anxiety Trait ◽  
University Athletes

Introdução: A competição é intrínseca ao esporte e pode gerar estados emocionais variados, com o potencial de influenciar o rendimento. Dentre estes, a ansiedade aparece como elemento emocional e, em conjunto com o processo de estresse, se configuram como aspectos psicológicos a serem observados. Estes aspectos não são diferentes no esporte universitário e aparecem intensamente nos períodos das competições. Objetivo: Identificar o nível de ansiedade-traço, ansiedade-estado e de estresse em atletas universitários de handebol de duas equipes diferentes do interior do estado de São Paulo. Métodos: A amostra deste estudo foi composta por 22 atletas universitários de handebol, do sexo masculino, com média de idade de 21±1,8 anos. Os atletas responderam ao “Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado” (IDATE) e ao “Situações de Stress no Handebol” (SSH). Resultados: Os resultados indicaram que as situações mais citadas pelos atletas como causadoras de estresse foram: “errar tiros de 7m em momentos decisivos do jogo”; “estar perdendo para equipe tecnicamente inferior”; “errar um arremesso completamente livre”; “arbitragem prejudicar minha equipe”; “ser excluído nos momentos decisivos da partida” e “sofrer gol devido à falha defensiva”. Em relação à ansiedade, os resultados demonstraram que todos os atletas demonstraram, de forma geral, níveis de ansiedade-traço e ansiedade-estado considerados moderados (36,59 e 41,45, respectivamente). Conclusão: Diante dos resultados, pode-se tecer que os atletas investigados apresentaram algumas situações de jogo como estressores e que, em relação a ansiedade, os níveis dos atletas encontram-se moderados.ABSTRACT. Stress and anxiety in handball college athletes. Background: Competition is intrinsic to sport and can generate so many emotional states with the potential to influence performance. Among these states, anxiety appears as emotional element and, in addiction with stress process, they configure themselves as psychological aspects to be observed. These aspects are not different in college sports scope and appear intensively at competition´s periods. Objective: To identify the level of trait anxiety, state anxiety and stress process in university handball athletes of two different teams at São Paulo State in Brazil. Methods: The sample of this study was composed of 22 male handball university athletes, with a mean age of 21±1.8 years. The athletes answered to the “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory” (STAI) and to “Situations of Stress in Handball” (SSH). Results: The results indicated that the situations most cited by athletes as causing stress were: “miss 7-meter shots at decisive moments of the game”; “Being lost to technically inferior staff”; “Miss a pitch completely free”; “Arbitration hamper my team”; “To be excluded in the decisive moments of the game” and “to concede a goal due to defensive failure”. Concerning anxiety, the results showed that all athletes showed, in general, levels of anxiety-trait and anxiety-state considered moderate (36.59 and 41.45, respectively). Conclusion: In view of the results, it can be seen that the athletes investigated presented some situations of play as stressors and that, in relation to anxiety, the levels of the athletes are moderate.

scholarly journals Moderators of the Relationships Between State and Trait Anxiety and Depersonalization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah J French ◽  
Jeremy William Eberle ◽  
Bethany Teachman
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Distress Tolerance ◽  
State Level ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Distress Intolerance ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
State And Trait Anxiety

Depersonalization is common in anxiety disorders, but little is known about the factors that influence co-occurring anxiety and depersonalization. We investigated trait moderators of the relationships between state and trait anxiety and depersonalization to better understand their co-occurrence and to identify potential points of intervention. Adults recruited on Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 303) completed two computer tasks designed to increase variability in state anxiety and depersonalization as well as several self-report questionnaires. As hypothesized (preregistration: https://osf.io/xgazd/?view_only=56eba3dfb2b8454a97d3f66eb5217f7a), anxiety positively predicted depersonalization at both a state level, β = 0.43, 95% CI [0.39, 0.47], and a trait level, β = 0.60, 95% CI [0.51, 0.70]. Moreover, as hypothesized, the trait anxiety-trait depersonalization relationship was strengthened by greater anxiety sensitivity, β = 0.25, 95% CI [0.17, 0.34]; distress intolerance, β = 0.15, 95% CI [0.05, 0.25]; and negative interpretation bias for anxiety sensations (inverse transformed), β = -0.21, 95% CI [-0.30, -0.13], and for depersonalization sensations (inverse transformed), β = -0.27, 95% CI [-0.35, -0.19]. None of these hypothesized trait moderators significantly strengthened the state anxiety-state depersonalization relationship. These findings suggest that on a trait level, anxiety and depersonalization more frequently co-occur when people catastrophically misinterpret their symptoms or have lower emotional distress tolerance.

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