People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Have Weaker Brain Connections

A new imaging study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) shows that people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have weaker connections between a brain structure that controls emotional response and the amygdala — groups of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain — which suggests that the brain’s “panic button” may stay on due to lack of regulation.

Lead author Jack B. Nitschke, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, says the findings support the theory that reduced communication between parts of the brain explains the intense anxiety felt by people with GAD. Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders. GAD — which is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry — affects nearly six percent of the population. For more information, click here to read the full release.