Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts
BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests a relationship between deficits in cognitive control and anxiety. However, studies examining cognitive control within affective contexts (affective control) are limited, and the specific characteristics of affective control in patients with Generalized Anxiety Dis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1506239/full |
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| author | Yuqi Shen Shasha Zhu Shasha Zhu Shiqi Liao Yuqing Zhao Yuqing Zhao Zihan Lin Ke Jiang Wenjing Yan Xinhua Shen Xinhua Shen |
| author_facet | Yuqi Shen Shasha Zhu Shasha Zhu Shiqi Liao Yuqing Zhao Yuqing Zhao Zihan Lin Ke Jiang Wenjing Yan Xinhua Shen Xinhua Shen |
| author_sort | Yuqi Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests a relationship between deficits in cognitive control and anxiety. However, studies examining cognitive control within affective contexts (affective control) are limited, and the specific characteristics of affective control in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) remain unclear. This study investigated whether differences exist in cognitive control under affective contexts.MethodsWe conduct our research in a population of GAD patients (n = 50) and a healthy control group (n = 50). The affective flanker task measured affective inhibition, while the affective flexibility task assessed affective shifting capabilities.ResultsGAD patients exhibited abnormal affective inhibition, characterized by reduced proactive control related to target stimulus processing and enhanced reactive control associated with distractor resolution. Additionally, GAD patients demonstrated deficits in affective shifting, as indicated by significantly higher shifting costs in both non-affective and affective tasks compared to the healthy control group.ConclusionsThe findings reveal that GAD patients display poorer emotion recognition abilities, indicating deficits in affective control compared to healthy individuals. Our study underscores the importance of measuring affective control by delineating it into distinct components. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f411049ca0b64f4faae4e473789f42f7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-f411049ca0b64f4faae4e473789f42f72025-08-20T03:53:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-05-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15062391506239Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contextsYuqi Shen0Shasha Zhu1Shasha Zhu2Shiqi Liao3Yuqing Zhao4Yuqing Zhao5Zihan Lin6Ke Jiang7Wenjing Yan8Xinhua Shen9Xinhua Shen10Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Huzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaHuzhou Third Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Huzhou, ChinaDepartment of Neurosis and Psychosomatic Diseases, Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital, Huzhou, ChinaBackgroundGrowing evidence suggests a relationship between deficits in cognitive control and anxiety. However, studies examining cognitive control within affective contexts (affective control) are limited, and the specific characteristics of affective control in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) remain unclear. This study investigated whether differences exist in cognitive control under affective contexts.MethodsWe conduct our research in a population of GAD patients (n = 50) and a healthy control group (n = 50). The affective flanker task measured affective inhibition, while the affective flexibility task assessed affective shifting capabilities.ResultsGAD patients exhibited abnormal affective inhibition, characterized by reduced proactive control related to target stimulus processing and enhanced reactive control associated with distractor resolution. Additionally, GAD patients demonstrated deficits in affective shifting, as indicated by significantly higher shifting costs in both non-affective and affective tasks compared to the healthy control group.ConclusionsThe findings reveal that GAD patients display poorer emotion recognition abilities, indicating deficits in affective control compared to healthy individuals. Our study underscores the importance of measuring affective control by delineating it into distinct components.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1506239/fullgeneralized anxiety disorderaffective inhibitionaffective shiftingcognitive controlaffective control |
| spellingShingle | Yuqi Shen Shasha Zhu Shasha Zhu Shiqi Liao Yuqing Zhao Yuqing Zhao Zihan Lin Ke Jiang Wenjing Yan Xinhua Shen Xinhua Shen Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts Frontiers in Psychiatry generalized anxiety disorder affective inhibition affective shifting cognitive control affective control |
| title | Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts |
| title_full | Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts |
| title_fullStr | Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts |
| title_short | Generalized anxiety disorder patients' cognitive control in affective contexts |
| title_sort | generalized anxiety disorder patients cognitive control in affective contexts |
| topic | generalized anxiety disorder affective inhibition affective shifting cognitive control affective control |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1506239/full |
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