Various studies using neuroimaging techniques have identified structural differences between the brains of people with anxiety disorders and the general population.1-3 More research using more advanced techniques is needed to disentangle the exact nature of these structural changes, and understand whether they are specific to certain anxiety disorders.3
References:
- Wu Y, Zhong Y, Ma Z, et al. Gray matter changes in panic disorder: a voxel-based meta-analysis and meta-analytic connectivity modeling. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2018; 282: 82–89.
- Liu X, Klugah-Brown B, Zhang R, et al. Pathological fear, anxiety and negative affect exhibit distinct neurostructural signatures: evidence from psychiatric neuroimaging meta-analysis. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12 (1): 405.
- Parsaei M, Hasehmi SM, Seyedmirzaei H, et al. Microstructural white matter alterations associated with social anxiety disorders: a systematic review. J Affect Disord 2024; 350: 78–88.