Research from the Donders Institute of Radboud University has unveiled that anxious individuals utilize different parts of their brain compared to non-anxious people when making decisions in socially challenging scenarios.
This discovery was made possible using brain scanning technology.
Imagine bumping into someone you’ve had feelings for in the past. The situation is inherently tense. Would you approach them or opt to ignore them to steer clear of potential embarrassment?
While a non-anxious individual might manage to suppress their feelings and make a move, for an anxious person, the decision becomes much more daunting.
Bob Bramson, one of the researchers, elucidates, “Anxious people resort to a less apt section of the forebrain to govern this control, which often leads them to steer clear of such social circumstances.”
Typically, when navigating the treacherous waters between potential threat and reward, the decision-making process in non-anxious people takes place in the prefrontal cortex.
However, the study reveals that anxious individuals utilize a distinct segment of the forebrain for these decisions.
Peeking Into the Brain
The research team, comprised of Bramson and Sjoerd Meijer, examined brain scans to decipher the distinctions between anxious and non-anxious people when confronted with simulated social scenarios.
Participants were presented with varying emotional facial expressions, where their reactions to these faces were gauged through joystick movements.
The results were intriguing: anxious individuals, though performing on par with non-anxious counterparts, exhibited activity in an entirely different brain region.
Bramson detailed, “In non-anxious participants, during emotional control, we typically observe a signal transmitting from the frontmost part of the prefrontal cortex to the motor cortex.
But in anxious individuals, a less efficient segment of this section is employed.”
Further analysis revealed that the optimal section of the brain tends to get overly stimulated in those with anxiety.
This overstimulation might be the culprit behind the difficulties anxious individuals face when deciding to avoid or engage in social situations.
Implications and Potential Treatments
This study marks a pivotal point in understanding anxiety at a neurological level, highlighting how the forebrain of anxious individuals operates distinctly in controlling emotional behavior.
The findings promise potential avenues for formulating innovative treatments tailored to those grappling with anxiety.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about 6 daily habits to reduce stress & anxiety, and this daily supplement may help lower anxiety.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, and prevent dementia.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
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