Wang Hangwei, Mou Shaoqi, Pei Xuedan, Zhang Xiaomei, Shen Shanhong, Zhang Jianfeng, Shen Xinhua, Shen Zhongxia
Key Laboratory of Psychiatry, Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, People's Republic of China.
Sleep Medical Center, Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, People's Republic of China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Feb 18;15(1):5991. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-90362-z.
Recent studies have suggested a relationship between abnormal neurophysiological functions and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, studies on its electrophysiological characteristics, such as its power spectrum and functional connectivity are relatively few and scattered than those on other mental disorders (e.g., depression, ADHD, etc.). The present study aims to reveal the multidimensional electrophysiological characteristics of GAD via comparative analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) data between GAD patients and healthy controls. Specifically, resting-state EEG, with a duration of 10 min, was recorded from 98 GAD patients and 92 healthy control participants. The electrophysiological characteristics, including the power spectrum, alpha asymmetry, and functional connectivity, were extracted and compared between the two groups. The results revealed significantly increased beta-band activity; decreased ipsilateral fronto-temporal and parieto-temporal functional connectivities in the lower frequency bands (theta-beta band); as well as decreased frontal‒parietal and frontal‒occipital connectivities in the higher frequency bands (beta‒gamma band) in GAD patients. Additionally, alpha asymmetry analysis revealed a significantly greater rightward temporal alpha asymmetry in GAD patients. These findings suggest the existence of significant EEG characteristics in patients with GAD, supporting previous conclusions regarding abnormal neurophysiological functions in psychiatric disorders and potentially leading to the identification of biomarkers for clinical diagnosis.
近期研究表明异常神经生理功能与广泛性焦虑症（GAD）之间存在关联。然而，相较于其他精神障碍（如抑郁症、注意力缺陷多动障碍等），关于其电生理特征（如功率谱和功能连接性）的研究相对较少且较为分散。本研究旨在通过比较GAD患者与健康对照者的脑电图（EEG）数据，揭示GAD的多维电生理特征。具体而言，记录了98名GAD患者和92名健康对照参与者的持续10分钟的静息态EEG。提取并比较了两组之间的电生理特征，包括功率谱、α不对称性和功能连接性。结果显示，GAD患者的β频段活动显著增加；低频段（θ-β频段）同侧额颞叶和顶颞叶功能连接性降低；以及高频段（β-γ频段）额顶叶和额枕叶连接性降低。此外，α不对称性分析显示GAD患者右侧颞叶α不对称性显著更大。这些发现表明GAD患者存在显著的EEG特征，支持了先前关于精神障碍中异常神经生理功能的结论，并可能有助于识别临床诊断的生物标志物。
