Locus Coeruleus Drive in Relation to Trait Anxiety and Behavioral Performance during Stress
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2020-08-01
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en
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The noradrenergic drive from the locus coeruleus (LC) plays an essential role in the neural stress response, as it induces a neural network shift to enable an adaptive behavioral response. In addition, LC drive influences the risk of developing an anxiety disorder, as it regulates brain areas involved in anxiety. The relationship between LC drive and anxiety has not yet been studied in healthy individuals. We therefore investigated the relationship of pupil dilation differences between a threatening and safe environment as a proxy for LC drive, with varying levels of preclinical anxiety and behavioral performance. Participants were selected with a pre-screening for elevated trait anxiety using the Hospitalized Anxiety and Depression Scale (n = 202). We employed an oddball paradigm with a threat-of-shock manipulation to engage the LC. Our results point towards an inverted-U-shaped relationship between anxiety and the pupil dilation differences between the threatening and safe blocks. This indicates that individuals with moderate anxiety levels had a larger dilation difference between the threatening and safe blocks as compared to individuals with lower and higher anxiety. A larger dilation difference indicates that the LC distinguished more between threat and safe blocks. In addition, a moderated mediation model shows that LC drive mediated the relationship between anxiety and behavioral performance (reaction times) and that the relationship between anxiety and LC drive in this mediation was moderated by the level of threat. This model aims to explain individual differences in behavior during stress and points to the existence of non-linear moderation processes.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen