Neural correlates of self-focused attention in social anxiety

Abstract

Socially anxious individuals tend to shift their attention away from external socially threatening cues and instead become highly self-focused. Such heightened self-focused attention has been suggested to be involved in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of self-focused attention in 16 high socially anxious (HSA) and 16 low socially anxious (LSA) individuals. Participants were instructed to focus their attention either inwardly or outwardly during a simulated social situation. Results indicate hyperactivation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and temporal pole during inward vs outward attention in HSA compared with LSA participants. Furthermore, activation of mPFC, right anterior insula, TPJ and posterior cingulate cortex was positively correlated with the trait of self-focused attention in HSA subjects. Results highlight the prominent role of the mPFC and other cortical structures in abnormal self-focused attention in social anxiety. Finally, findings for the insula suggest increased processing of bodily states that is related to the amount of habitual self-focused attention in social anxiety.

Loneliness and implicit attention to social threat: A high-performance electrical neuroimaging study

“…This is consistent with the notion that the lonelier a person feels, the more attentive they are to the social context in the presence of negative stimuli or threats (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009;Cacioppo, Grippo, et al, 2015;Qualter et al, 2015). In addition, the study revealed loneliness to be associated with reduced activation of the temporal parietal junction (TPJ), a brain area involved in self-representation (Blanke, Ortigue, Landis, & Seeck, 2002;Blanke et al, 2005;Boehme, Miltner, & Straube, 2014) in response to unpleasant social than nonsocial pictures, which is consistent with lonely individuals being more focused on themselves and on selfpreservation in negative social contexts (Cacioppo, Balogh, & Cacioppo, 2015;Cacioppo, Grippo, et al 2015;Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2009).…”

Using Functional Neuroimaging to Refine the Diagnostic Construct of Borderline Personality Disorder

“…Interestingly, when thinking and evaluating themselves, the participants with BPD show increased activation in the TPJ, a key region for understanding other people's actions. This finding is in line with a recent study, which found greater activation in the TPJ and mPFC in individuals with high (compared to low) social anxiety, when they were instructed to direct their attention inward [79]. Increased self-focused attention in social anxiety is correlated with negative self-evaluation, anxiety, and arousal [80].…”

Authenticity and rumination mediate the relationship between loneliness and well-being

“…The activation of these defensive tendencies is connected to numerous cognitive biases, including those concerning oneself (for example higher selfcriticism). At the neurobiological level, this may be linked with a reduced activity of the temporal parietal junction (TPJ), responsible for creating representations of the self and of others relevant to the situation (Boehme et al 2015). In the context of authenticity, a defensive approach excludes the possibility of unbiased processing of self-related information, lowers one's readiness to self-disclosure and general openness towards others.…”