Kéri Szabolcs, Kancsev Alexander, Kelemen Oguz
Sztárai Institute, University of Tokaj, 3944 Sárospatak, Hungary.
Department of Physiology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary.
Life (Basel). 2024 Jul 18;14(7):887. doi: 10.3390/life14070887.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is marked by prolonged and excessive worry, physical signs of anxiety, and associated neuroinflammation. Traditional treatments, like pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), often leave residual symptoms and have high relapse rates. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of algorithm-based modular psychotherapy (MoBa), a combination of CBT and mindfulness meditation as validated by the research domain criteria (RDoC), in reducing anxiety and neuroinflammation in GAD. A longitudinal design was used, with 50 patients with GAD undergoing a 12-week MoBa treatment. The patients were investigated pre- and post-treatment using MRI to measure neuroinflammatory markers (DBSI-RF, diffusion-basis spectral imaging-based restricted fraction) in the hippocampus, amygdala, and neocortex. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). Results indicated significant reductions in both anxiety symptoms and MRI RF values in the amygdala, suggesting decreased neuroinflammation. A reduction in anxiety was associated with the amelioration of neuroinflammation in the amygdala. These results suggest that MoBa is effective in alleviating both the psychological and neuroinflammatory aspects of GAD, offering a promising personalized treatment approach. Future research should focus on long-term effects and the mechanisms through which MoBa impacts neuroinflammation and anxiety.
广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）的特征是长期过度担忧、焦虑的身体症状以及相关的神经炎症。传统治疗方法，如药物治疗和认知行为疗法（CBT），往往会留下残留症状且复发率高。本研究旨在探讨基于算法的模块化心理治疗（MoBa）的疗效，MoBa是一种结合了CBT和正念冥想的疗法，已通过研究领域标准（RDoC）验证，用于减轻GAD患者的焦虑和神经炎症。采用纵向设计，50名GAD患者接受为期12周的MoBa治疗。在治疗前后使用MRI对患者进行调查，以测量海马体、杏仁核和新皮层中的神经炎症标志物（DBSI-RF，基于扩散基础光谱成像的受限分数）。使用汉密尔顿焦虑量表（HAM-A）和广泛性焦虑障碍7项量表（GAD-7）评估临床症状。结果表明，焦虑症状和杏仁核中的MRI RF值均显著降低，表明神经炎症减轻。焦虑的减轻与杏仁核神经炎症的改善有关。这些结果表明，MoBa在减轻GAD的心理和神经炎症方面均有效，提供了一种有前景的个性化治疗方法。未来的研究应关注长期效果以及MoBa影响神经炎症和焦虑的机制。
