Key result
Right-dominant resting prefrontal cortex activity links to higher anxiety and left-dominant activity to lower anxiety.
Why the study?
Does the asymmetry of spontaneous oscillation of hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex correlate with anxiety levels in normal adults?
Cross-Sectional
Does the asymmetry of spontaneous oscillation of hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex correlate with anxiety levels in normal adults?
Near-infrared spectroscopy may be a useful tool for objective assessment of anxiety levels by measuring prefrontal cortex activity asymmetry.
Prefrontal asymmetry may associate with anxiety; leaves open NIRS utility for objective assessment pending validation.
According to the valence asymmetry hypothesis, the left/right asymmetry of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity is correlated with specific emotional responses to mental stress and personality traits. Here, we evaluated the relation between emotional state and asymmetry in PFC activity at rest by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We measured spontaneous oscillation of oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the bilateral PFC at rest in normal adults employing two-channel NIRS. In order to analyze left/right asymmetry of PFC activity at rest, we calculated the laterality index at rest (LIR) (see text). We investigated the correlation between the LIR and anxiety levels evaluated by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test. We found that the right PFC was more active at rest than the left PFC, corresponding to a higher anxiety level measured by the STAI; that is, subjects with right-dominant activity at rest showed higher STAI scores, while those with left-dominant oxy-Hb changes at rest showed lower STAI scores. Aging had no significant effect on the relation. The present results obtained by NIRS are consistent with the valence asymmetry hypothesis. We emphasize NIRS may be a useful tool for objective assessment of anxiety levels.
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Ishikawa et al. (2014) conducted a cross-sectional in Anxiety. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was evaluated on Correlation between laterality index at rest (LIR) and anxiety levels evaluated by STAI. Right-dominant prefrontal cortex activity at rest measured by near-infrared spectroscopy correlated with higher anxiety levels, while left-dominant activity correlated with lower anxiety levels.
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