Anxiety and cognitive efficiency: Differential modulation of transient and sustained neural activity during a working memory task

Fales, Christina L.; Barch, Deanna; Burgess, Gregory C.; Schaefer, Alexandre; Mennin, Douglas S.; Gray, Jeremy R.; Braver, Todd S. · 2008 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/cabn.8.3.239

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between anxiety and cognitive efficiency, specifically addressing how anxiety modulates the temporal dynamics of brain activity during working memory tasks. Grounded in the processing-efficiency hypothesis and the dual mechanisms of cognitive control theory, the research posits that anxious individuals may exhibit reduced cognitive efficiency not through simple under- or over-activation, but through a shift from sustained (proactive) to transient (reactive) neural recruitment. The authors hypothesized that high trait anxiety would be associated with reduced sustained activation in cognitive control regions, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and increased transient activation, reflecting a less efficient, reactive control strategy. To test these hypotheses, 40 participants (20 high-anxiety and 20 low-anxiety, selected from a larger pool based on trait anxiety scores) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a verbal three-back working memory task. The experimental design utilized a mixed blocked/event-related fMRI approach to dissociate sustained and transient neural activity. Participants performed the task under two mood conditions: after viewing neutral videos and after viewing anxiety-inducing videos designed to induce a negative mood. The analysis focused on a priori-defined regions of interest in cognitive-control networks and default-mode networks, examining how trait anxiety and induced state anxiety modulated neural responses across different trial difficulties. The results indicated that in the neutral mood condition, high-anxious participants exhibited reduced sustained activation but increased transient activation in working memory areas compared to low-anxious participants. Additionally, the high-anxiety group showed extensive reductions in sustained activation within default-network areas, suggesting possible deactivation. When participants viewed anxiety-inducing videos, the low-anxiety group shifted their activation dynamics in cognitive control regions to resemble those of the high-anxiety group, characterized by reduced sustained and increased transient recruitment. This suggests that induced state anxiety can trigger reactive control patterns in individuals who typically utilize proactive control. These findings support the theory that reduced cognitive efficiency in anxiety is linked to a transient, rather than sustained, pattern of working memory recruitment. The study implies that anxious individuals rely more on reactive control mechanisms, which may be less effective for maintaining ongoing attentional focus and resolving conflict proactively. The results highlight the importance of considering the temporal dynamics of neural activity when studying the neural substrates of anxiety and cognition, suggesting that anxiety disrupts the sustained maintenance of task goals, thereby impairing cognitive efficiency.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-25; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• stress arousal performance