Extended Functional Connectivity Of Convergent Structural Alterations Among Anxiety And Mood Disorders: A Meta-Analysis And Functional Connectivity Analysis

Anxiety-related disorders are some of the most pervasive mental health disorders affecting adult and youth populations. Despite growing evidence of the neurobiology associated with anxiety-related disorders, a consensus on the neurobiological mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders between adults, adolescents, and youth remains to be elucidated. The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to examine convergent structural alterations associated with clinical anxiety and how these alterations may differ across developmental stages. We also examined extended meta-analytic functional connectivity associated with clinical anxiety. Overall, results suggest prefrontal regions of the brain containing the most profound effects of structural alterations associated with clinical anxiety. Differences in the associated structural alterations provided different patterns of alterations between developmental groups. Extended functional connectivity found a widespread pattern of aberrant functional connectivity encompassing the default mode (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive (CEN) networks associated with clinical anxiety. Results from the current study provide further insight into the psychophysiology of clinical anxiety.

Major Professor: Angela R. Laird