Neural correlates of self-focused attention in social anxiety

Stephanie Boehme; Wolfgang H R Miltner; Thomas Straube

doi:10.1093/scan/nsu128

Neural correlates of self-focused attention in social anxiety

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2015 Jun;10(6):856-62. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsu128. Epub 2014 Oct 17.

Authors

Stephanie Boehme¹, Wolfgang H R Miltner², Thomas Straube²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Psychophysiology and functional Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Wüerzburg; Fuechsleinstr. 15, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany, Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3//1, D-07743 Jena, Germany, and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany Laboratory of Psychophysiology and functional Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Wüerzburg; Fuechsleinstr. 15, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany, Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3//1, D-07743 Jena, Germany, and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany Boehme_S@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de.
² Laboratory of Psychophysiology and functional Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy, University of Wüerzburg; Fuechsleinstr. 15, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany, Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3//1, D-07743 Jena, Germany, and Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.

Abstract

Socially anxious individuals tend to shift their attention away from external socially threatening cues and instead become highly self-focused. Such heightened self-focused attention has been suggested to be involved in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of self-focused attention in 16 high socially anxious (HSA) and 16 low socially anxious (LSA) individuals. Participants were instructed to focus their attention either inwardly or outwardly during a simulated social situation. Results indicate hyperactivation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and temporal pole during inward vs outward attention in HSA compared with LSA participants. Furthermore, activation of mPFC, right anterior insula, TPJ and posterior cingulate cortex was positively correlated with the trait of self-focused attention in HSA subjects. Results highlight the prominent role of the mPFC and other cortical structures in abnormal self-focused attention in social anxiety. Finally, findings for the insula suggest increased processing of bodily states that is related to the amount of habitual self-focused attention in social anxiety.

Keywords: fMRI; insula; mPFC; self-focused attention; social anxiety.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety / physiopathology*
Anxiety / psychology
Attention / physiology*
Brain / physiopathology*
Cues
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Phobic Disorders / physiopathology*
Phobic Disorders / psychology
Young Adult