Non-conscious processing of fear faces: a function of the implicit self-concept of anxiety.
BMC Neurosci
; 24(1): 12, 2023 02 05.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36740677
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Trait anxiety refers to a stable tendency to experience fears and worries across many situations. High trait anxiety is a vulnerability factor for the development of psychopathologies. Self-reported trait anxiety appears to be associated with an automatic processing advantage for threat-related information. Self-report measures assess aspects of the explicit self-concept of anxiety. Indirect measures can tap into the implicit self-concept of anxiety.METHODS:
We examined automatic brain responsiveness to non-conscious threat as a function of trait anxiety using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Besides a self-report instrument, we administered the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to assess anxiety. We used a gender-decision paradigm presenting brief (17 ms) and backward-masked facial expressions depicting disgust and fear.RESULTS:
Explicit trait anxiety was not associated with brain responsiveness to non-conscious threat. However, a relation of the implicit self-concept of anxiety with masked fear processing in the thalamus, precentral gyrus, and lateral prefrontal cortex was observed.CONCLUSIONS:
We provide evidence that a measure of the implicit self-concept of anxiety is a valuable predictor of automatic neural responses to threat in cortical and subcortical areas. Hence, implicit anxiety measures could be a useful addition to explicit instruments. Our data support the notion that the thalamus may constitute an important neural substrate in biased non-conscious processing in anxiety.Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Encéphale
/
Peur
Type d'étude:
Prognostic_studies
Limites:
Humans
Langue:
En
Journal:
BMC Neurosci
Sujet du journal:
NEUROLOGIA
Année:
2023
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
Allemagne