Abstract
Although state anxiety has been characterized by hyper-responsive subcortical activity and its bottom-up connectivity with cortical regions, the role of cortical networks in state anxiety is not yet well understood. To this end, we decoded individual state anxiety by using a machine-learning approach based on resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Our results showed that the RSFC among a set of cortical networks were highly predictive of state anxiety, rather than trait anxiety. Specifically, these networks included connectivity between cortical areas in the default mode network (DMN) and dorsal attention network (DAN), and connectivity within the DMN, which were negatively correlated with state anxiety; connectivity between cortical areas in the DMN and frontoparietal network (FPN), FPN and salience network (SN), FPN and DAN, DMN and SN, which were positively correlated with state anxiety. These findings suggest a predictive role of intrinsic cortical organization in the assessment of state anxiety. The work provides new insights into potential neural mechanisms of emotion states and implications for prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of affective disorders.
Highlights
Anxiety characterizes a subjective emotional state, relating to spatially or temporally distant and/or uncertain threat; it is often accompanied by autonomic arousal and behavioral avoidance[1,2]
In the current study, we established a connectomebased predictive model of state anxiety based on intrinsic connectivity between cortical networks, including default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and salience network (SN)
These findings demonstrate a crucial role of cortical regions in the individualized prediction of state anxiety, extending the classical amygdala-centric model of state anxiety
Summary
Anxiety characterizes a subjective emotional state, relating to spatially or temporally distant and/or uncertain threat; it is often accompanied by autonomic arousal and behavioral avoidance[1,2]. In contrast to fear which represents a more automated response to an imminent or immediate threat, anxiety is commonly associated with an individual’s apprehension about potential or distant harm/threat[2]. While trait anxiety reflects an individual’s predisposition for anxious responses, state anxiety reflects a temporary, subjective experience of apprehension about a potential threat or negative experience[3,4]. State anxiety has been shown to be more correlated with physiological/somatic symptoms than is trait anxiety[12]. State anxiety is more likely to reflect an individual’s subjective
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