Reduced Threat-Related Neural Efficiency: A Possible Biomarker for Pediatric Anxiety Disorders
Julia Linke, Reut Naim, Simone P. Haller, Parmis Khosravi, Beck Scheinberg, Meghan E. Byrne, Anita Harrewijn, Ellen Leibenluft, Melissa A. Brotman, Anderson M. Winkler, Daniel S. Pine
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Pediatric anxiety disorders are common and predict adult psychopathology, yet current treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), produce lasting remission in less than 50% of affected youths. To support the search for improved, mechanistically grounded interventions, this study evaluated neural efficiency, defined as similarity in functional connectivity between a threat task and rest, as a potential biomarker. The study evaluated neural efficiency in relation to anxiety diagnosis and treatment response. METHODS: The authors compared 103 youths with an anxiety disorder diagnosis (mean age, 12.5 years [SD=2.91], 62% female) to 103 youths with no psychiatric diagnosis (mean age, 13.4 years [SD=2.58], 53% female). Participants completed functional MRI while resting and during a dot-probe task with threatening faces. Neural efficiency was calculated as partial correlations between intrinsic and task-related functional connectivity patterns across the whole brain. Four-month test-retest reliability as well as relationships with anxiety and response to exposure-based CBT were examined. RESULTS: =9.20). CONCLUSIONS: Neural efficiency, measured as network reconfiguration between rest and task, holds promise as a biomarker in pediatric anxiety. Its association with CBT response suggests that it might aid in patient stratification and offer a target for interventions aimed at enhancing CBT efficacy.