Living With Anxiety

Romance Novelist Works to Overcome Social Phobia

LivingWithAnxiety — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:18:28 +0000

Romance novelist ArLynn Presser was terrified to leave her home for nearly 30 years, so she made a new year's resolution to go out and meet her friends on Facebook

Cortisol Switch in Brain Discovered

Christopher Taylor — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:08:26 +0000

Recently published in the journal Neuron, new research suggests that there may be a single protein that can turn cortisol production on and off, one of only a very few chemical processes in the human brain where one protein can cause opposite effects.

Called Otp, the protein is involved in the production of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), which in turn triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenal glands. Researchers found that in addition to directly activating CRH-producing genes, Otp can signal the manufacture of two kinds of receptors on the neurons involved in the CRH production process.

Unusually, the two receptor sub-types encoded by Otp are present in a single gene. Using a process called alternative splicing, Otp can cause the gene to produce a short version of the PAC1 receptor, which turns the CRH production "on", and a long version, which turns it off. Alternative splicing allows for the selective "cutting and pasting" of different genetic sequences to make a number of different genetic products.

Furthermore, in trials with zebrafish, the researchers discovered that the ratio of long, "off" receptors to short, "on" receptors increased as time passed after a stressful event, suggesting that not only do cortisol levels themselves return to normal, but the body also becomes more reluctant to produce more the longer it has been since some stimulus triggered a fear response.

In addition to chronic stress disorders, the PAC1 receptor has been found to be involved in post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia.

Source: Weizmann Institute of Science

Smartphones, Sensors Help Combat Drug Cravings

Christopher Taylor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:32:58 +0000

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are creating a set of software and hardware to help detect drug cravings and intervene before the cravings are acted upon. Called iHeal, the system of biometric sensors and computerized diagnostic software is designed to be compatible with smartphones, and is part of a new category of "enabling technologies", which combine artificial intelligence, wireless monitoring capabilities, and smartphone compatibility to provide interventions outside the clinical setting.

Accurately identifying behavioral changes that may signify trigger points for drug use as early as possible is vital for successful recovery. iHeal does this by compiling data from proprietary biosensors, something other applications have yet to develop. A wrist band measures skin conductance and temperature, heart rate, and body motion, and transmits this data to a smartphone. Software then uses the smartphone's computational abilities to analyze it for warning signs.

When a potential trigger point is detected, the phone prompts the user for additional input, including stress levels and current activity. The goal, say the developers, is to present customized multimedia interventions in real-time, as they are needed and at the moment they will do the most good.

Currently, the device is in the earliest stages of testing. The sensor band is about the size of a wristwatch, but there is some concern over its appearance causing embarrassment outside of a healthcare environment. Additionally, data security in a device like this is paramount, and some technical issues with the current device make it less than ideal. Still, the proof-of-concept design has shown that it is possible to detect when a person is about to give in to cravings and provide the support they need to avoid that.

Source: Journal of Medical Toxicology

Computer Programs Identify Anxiety and Depression

Christopher Taylor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:07:16 +0000

A new study reports that computer programs are able to use brain scans to distinguish between healthy individuals and those at risk of developing anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the research suggests that software may someday be able to predict exactly which at-risk adolescents will develop one of those diseases.

The research program is focused on early detection of psychiatric maladies because most such disorders first begin to manifest during adolescence, and it is then that treatments may be most effective at stopping or preventing them. Currently, although a computer may be able to tell that a person with certain risk factors has a 15 percent chance of developing major depression, it cannot tell exactly which patient will finally manifest the disease. This largely stems from the lack of a single biomarker for each disease.

To judge the computer's ability to gauge mental illness risk, the computer analyzed 32 healthy adolescents—16 who had one bipolar parent, and 16 who had parents without mental illnesses. Each participant was required to label a series of faces as being either happy, neutral, or scared while being monitored by a functional magnetic resonance imaging device.

Using the MRI results, the computer was task with sorting the participants into groups of "healthy" versus "at-risk" individuals. The computer was correct in its estimation of each person's individual risk approximately three fourths of the time. The highest rate of success was achieved using the scans taken when looking at neutral faces, confirming earlier research which suggested that people with mood disorders tend to be ambivalent or fearful toward neutral faces.

Source: PLoS One

Anxious Men Have Higher Levels of Post-Operative Pain

Christopher Taylor — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:05:45 +0000

At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), a study was presented showing that men with certain anxiety traits are likely to experience more post-operative pain than those without. While prior work has linked anxiety to heightened post-op pain, this was the first to so finely differentiate between types of anxiety and between men and women.

A group of 97 men and women who underwent minimally invasive total knee replacement surgery was asked to complete a survey designed to assess their overall level of anxiety about the procedure, their typical everyday anxiety level, and their tendency to "catastrophize". People who catastrophize tend to irrationally maintain that something is significantly worse than it actually is, and believe there is little they can do to change the situation.

Data was collected each day for the week following surgery, quantifying each patient's perceive level of pain. The potential for catastrophizing had no correlation with post-operative pain, or with requested levels of pain medication. Acute anxiety—that is, anxiety about the particular event, in this case the knee surgery—also did not predict levels of post-operative pain in men or women.

Among those with heightened anxiety traits, however, men experienced significantly higher levels of pain. These traits were unrelated to the surgical event and instead reflected chronic anxiety in everyday life. Women tended to experience more pain than men in general, regardless of anxiety levels, either acute or chronic.

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Inside the Life of OCD

LivingWithAnxiety — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:05:29 +0000

One woman, Jennifer, gives insight into her life of living with OCD

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Facebook Users Experience State of Flow

Christopher Taylor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:01:05 +0000

Users of the ubiquitous social network Facebook are neither relaxed nor stressed when interacting with the website. Instead, they achieve what has come to be known as "flow", a heightened state of mental arousal and focus, according to research conducted by a group from IULM University in Milan, Italy.

Neuroscientists measured several physiological markers as 30 participants performed three tasks. The first, viewing a series of landscape photographs, was meant to elicit a relaxed state, while the second, a Stroop test requiring each participant to correctly name the color of words, was designed to provoke stress responses. The third test, during which participants were allowed to interact with their own Facebook accounts for three minutes, triggered a reaction different from the first two.

Using measurements of skin conductance, vascular dilation, blood pressure, brainwaves, and others, the researchers found that Facebook use is not only different from both relaxation and stress, but also corresponds neatly to a "core flow state", in which a person is optimally focused on a task, finds that task to be just challenging enough to hold interests, and finds it intrinsically rewarding. It is the same state that world-class performers from athletes to musicians experience when they are performing their best.

The IULM team hypothesizes that part of the allure of online social networks, and the reason for their explosive growth over the last decade, is the inherently enjoying feelings of engagement one experiences while using them.

Complete results can be found in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Source: Institute of Human, Language and Environmental Sciences, IULM University

Meeting Anxiety at Work Can Lower Intelligence

Christopher Taylor — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:53:57 +0000

People who spend much of their days in meetings have something to worry besides boredom, according to a study released by the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. Its results show that meetings can actually make attendees dumber.

In examining the social dynamics of work-related meetings, researchers found that listening to a presentation from a coworker who seems smarter can make a person feel less intelligent. More than that, however, it can affect that person's brain's ability to correctly process information. The reason, it appears, has to do with performance anxiety getting in the way.

Volunteers were given IQ tests prior to the experiment, averaging around 126 (a surprisingly high number). They were then subjected to MRI scans during participation in group work activities. A second IQ test was administered and each participant was given feedback on how their own performance measured up to that of the others.

The MRI results showed that being given constant reminders of where others stood was enough to trigger fear and anxiety reactions in the amygdala area of the brain. The practical result of this was that many participants—despite being more or less evenly matched to their colleagues at the beginning of the study—scored significantly lower on the second test. The fear reactions were interfering with each person's ability to appropriately access and express their intelligence.

The full study is published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Source: Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

About Child Anxiety Disorders

LivingWithAnxiety — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:57:46 +0000

Learn more about childhood anxiety disorders and their behavioral and emotional aspects

Social Phobia Makes Kids Less Attractive to Their Peers

Christopher Taylor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:04:19 +0000

Children with social phobias are more likely to be judged less attractive by their peers than those without anxiety disorders, according to a report from the Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University. Such children are also liked less by their peers, according to the study.

One of the more common phobias, social anxiety affects around seven percent of the population, with nearly half of those exhibiting symptoms before they reach 11 years of age. It's characterized by severe fear or worry about social situations and being evaluated or judged by other people.

In their study, the Macquarie team showed video footage of children giving a speech to other children in the same peer group. The results showed that children with anxiety disorders generally and social phobia in particular were seen as less physically attractive.

When the results were controlled for physical attractiveness, the children with anxiety disorders were no longer any less well-liked than their peers, suggesting that it is perceived physical attractiveness, not social aptitude, that plays the strongest role in likability.

The researchers hypothesize that perceived attractiveness is based in part on "micro social skills", often noticed only subconsciously. Such skills would naturally be absent or less developed in children with social anxieties. The team hopes their research will highlight the importance of identifying root causes of social disorders during childhood, given the higher probability of dropping out of school and failing to develop strong friendship faced by those with social phobias.

Source: Macquerie University

Living With Anxiety

Romance Novelist Works to Overcome Social Phobia

Romance novelist ArLynn Presser was terrified to leave her home for nearly 30 years, so she made a new year's resolution to go out and meet her friends on Facebook

More Videos

Cortisol Switch in Brain Discovered

Smartphones, Sensors Help Combat Drug Cravings

Computer Programs Identify Anxiety and Depression

Anxious Men Have Higher Levels of Post-Operative Pain

Inside the Life of OCD

One woman, Jennifer, gives insight into her life of living with OCD

More Videos

Facebook Users Experience State of Flow

Meeting Anxiety at Work Can Lower Intelligence

About Child Anxiety Disorders

Learn more about childhood anxiety disorders and their behavioral and emotional aspects

More Videos

Social Phobia Makes Kids Less Attractive to Their Peers