Oathes Desmond J, Bruce Jared M, Nitschke Jack B
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Depress Anxiety. 2008;25(11):969-76. doi: 10.1002/da.20445.
Like other forms of emotion, anxiety has been theoretically linked to preparation for action. Worry is a type of anticipatory anxiety and the hallmark of generalized anxiety disorder. Research has shown that worry is associated with vigilance to threat cues and increased muscle tension, which may in part be explained by motor facilitation that accompanies preparation for action. This study assessed corticospinal motor responses during worry using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Participants received TMS during a worry induction, during motor imagery, and during mental arithmetic, while electromyography and force were measured. TMS over the primary motor cortex elicited larger corticospinal motor responses during worry than mental arithmetic and smaller responses than motor imagery of maximum voluntary contraction of targeted muscles. These findings suggest that the association between worry and motor preparation cannot be explained by high cognitive load and provide further support for theoretical accounts emphasizing the role of action preparation in anxiety.
与其他形式的情绪一样，焦虑在理论上与行动准备有关。担忧是一种预期性焦虑，也是广泛性焦虑症的标志。研究表明，担忧与对威胁线索的警惕以及肌肉紧张度增加有关，这部分可以通过行动准备时伴随的运动促进来解释。本研究使用经颅磁刺激（TMS）评估担忧期间的皮质脊髓运动反应。参与者在担忧诱发期间、运动想象期间和心算期间接受TMS，同时测量肌电图和力量。与心算相比，对初级运动皮层进行TMS时，担忧期间诱发的皮质脊髓运动反应更大；与目标肌肉最大自主收缩的运动想象相比，反应更小。这些发现表明，担忧与运动准备之间的关联不能用高认知负荷来解释，并为强调行动准备在焦虑中作用的理论观点提供了进一步支持。
