Altered relationship between prefrontal glutamate and activation during cognitive control in people with high trait anxiety

Elenor Morgenroth; Natasza Orlov; David J Lythgoe; James M Stone; Holly Barker; James Munro; Michael Eysenck; Paul Allen

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.021

Altered relationship between prefrontal glutamate and activation during cognitive control in people with high trait anxiety

Cortex. 2019 Aug:117:53-63. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.021. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Authors

Elenor Morgenroth¹, Natasza Orlov², David J Lythgoe³, James M Stone³, Holly Barker⁴, James Munro⁵, Michael Eysenck⁶, Paul Allen⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK. Electronic address: morgenre@roehampton.ac.uk.
² Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
³ Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK; Department of Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK; Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Combined Universities Brain Imaging Centre, London, UK.

PMID: 30928721
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.021

Abstract

Trait anxiety can affect cognitive control resulting in ineffective and/or inefficient task performance. Moreover, previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have reported altered dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity in anxious cohorts, particularly when executive control is required. Recently, it has been demonstrated that cortical glutamate levels can predict both functional activation during cognitive control, and anxiety levels. In the present study we sought to investigate the relationship between trait anxiety, prefrontal glutamate levels and functional activation in DLPFC during a cognitive control task. Thirty-nine participants assigned to either low trait anxiety (LTA) or high trait anxiety (HTA) groups underwent ¹H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) to measure levels of resting glutamate in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Participants also completed fMRI during a Stroop task comprising congruent and incongruent colour word trials. The HTA group showed reduced task performance relative to the LTA group. In the LTA group, there was a positive association between PFC Glu levels and DLPFC activation during incongruent trials. This association was absent in the HTA group. Individual differences in trait anxiety affect the relationship between PFC glutamate levels and DLPFC activation, possibly contributing to ineffective task performance when cognitive control is required.

Keywords: Anxiety; Attention; Glutamate; Inhibition.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety / diagnostic imaging
Anxiety / metabolism*
Anxiety / psychology
Attention / physiology
Brain Mapping
Cognition / physiology*
Executive Function / physiology*
Female
Glutamic Acid / metabolism*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Prefrontal Cortex / diagnostic imaging
Prefrontal Cortex / metabolism*
Young Adult

Substances

Glutamic Acid