Examination of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Mental Health From Three Perspectives: Global, Social, and Individual.

The extent of the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is recognized ubiquitously. However, these effects are subject to many modulatory factors from a plethora of domains of examination. It is important to understand the intersection of societal and individual levels for global stressors compared with local phenomena and physical-health outcomes. Here, we consider three perspectives: international/cultural, social, and individual. Both the enduring threat of COVID-19 infection and the protective measures to contain contagion have important consequences on individual mental health. These consequences, together with possible remedial interventions, are the focus of this article. We hope this work will stimulate more research and will suggest factors that need to be considered in the coordination of responses to a global threat, allowing for better preparation in the future.

The Posterior Cingulate Cortex Reflects the Impact of Anxiety on Drift Rates During Cognitive Processing.

BACKGROUND: Generally, anxiety is thought to impair ongoing cognitive operations. Surprisingly, however, anxiety has been shown to improve performance during the Go/NoGo task. Understanding how anxiety can facilitate task performance may shed light on avenues to address the cognitive deficits commonly associated with anxiety. METHODS: A total of 39 participants (mean age ± SD = 27.5 ± 7.22 years; 18 women) performed a Go/NoGo task during periods of safety and periods of experimental anxiety, induced using the unpredictable delivery of aversive stimuli. Computational analysis and ultrahigh field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging were used to determine how induced anxiety affected computational processes and blood oxygen level-dependent responses during the task. RESULTS: Induced anxiety improved accuracy during the Go/NoGo task. Induced anxiety was associated with an amplified drift rate process, which is thought to reflect increased informational uptake. In addition, changes in drift rate during the anxiety condition were associated with enhanced blood oxygen level-dependent responses within the posterior cingulate cortex during Go trials. CONCLUSIONS: These results may reflect the impact of induced anxiety on the activity of neurons within the posterior cingulate cortex, whose activity patterns mimic the buildup of evidence accumulation. Collectively, these results shed light on the mechanisms underlying facilitated task performance and suggest that anxiety can improve cognitive processing by enhancing information uptake and increasing activity within the posterior cingulate cortex.