Brain Aging in Specific Phobia: An ENIGMA-Anxiety Mega-Analysis

Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Forschungsartikel › Beigetragen › Begutachtung

Beitragende

  • Kimberly V Blake - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Kevin Hilbert - , HMU Health and Medical University (Autor:in)
  • Jonathan C Ipser - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Laura K M Han - , University of Melbourne (Autor:in)
  • Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam - , Leiden University (Autor:in)
  • Fredrik Åhs - , Mittuniversitetet (Autor:in)
  • Jochen Bauer - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Katja Beesdo-Baum - , Professur für Behaviorale Epidemiologie (Autor:in)
  • Johannes Björkstrand - , Lund University (Autor:in)
  • Laura Blanco-Hinojo - , Hospital del Mar (Autor:in)
  • Joscha Böhnlein - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Robin Bülow - , Universitätsklinikum Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Marta Cano - , Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (Autor:in)
  • Narcis Cardoner - , Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (Autor:in)
  • Xavier Caseras - , Cardiff University (Autor:in)
  • Udo Dannlowski - , C-I-R-C Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (Autor:in)
  • Mats Fredrikson - , Uppsala University (Autor:in)
  • Liesbet Goossens - , Maastricht University (Autor:in)
  • Hans J Grabe - , Universitätsklinikum Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Dominik Grotegerd - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Tim Hahn - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Alfons Hamm - , Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Ingmar Heinig - , Professur für Klinische Psychologie und Behaviorale Neurowissenschaft (Autor:in)
  • Martin J Herrmann - , Universitätsklinikum Würzburg (Autor:in)
  • David Hofmann - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Hamidreza Jamalabadi - , Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Andreas Jansen - , Philipps-Universität Marburg, Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Merel Kindt - , Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) (Autor:in)
  • Tilo Kircher - , Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Anna L Klahn - , University of Gothenburg (Autor:in)
  • Katja Koelkebeck - , Universitätsklinikum Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) (Autor:in)
  • Axel Krug - , Universitätsklinikum Bonn (Autor:in)
  • Elisabeth J Leehr - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Martin Lotze - , Universitätsklinikum Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Juergen Margraf - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Autor:in)
  • Markus Muehlhan - , MSH Medical School Hamburg (Autor:in)
  • Igor Nenadić - , Philipps-Universität Marburg, Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Wenceslao Peñate - , University of La Laguna (Autor:in)
  • Andre Pittig - , Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Autor:in)
  • Jens Plag - , HMU Health and Medical University (Autor:in)
  • Jesús Pujol - , Hospital del Mar (Autor:in)
  • Jan Richter - , Stiftung Universität Hildesheim (Autor:in)
  • Isabelle C Ridderbusch - , Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Francisco Rivero - , Universidad Europea de Canarias (Autor:in)
  • Axel Schäfer - , Philipps-Universität Marburg (Autor:in)
  • Judith Schäfer - , Professur für Behaviorale Epidemiologie (Autor:in)
  • Anne Schienle - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)
  • Elisabeth Schrammen - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Koen Schruers - , Maastricht University (Autor:in)
  • Esther Seidl - , SBA Research (Autor:in)
  • Rudolf M Stark - , Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (Autor:in)
  • Benjamin Straube - , Philipps-Universität Marburg (Autor:in)
  • Thomas Straube - , Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Autor:in)
  • Andreas Ströhle - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Autor:in)
  • Boris Suchan - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Autor:in)
  • Lea Teutenberg - , Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB) (Autor:in)
  • Sophia I Thomopoulos - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Autor:in)
  • Carlos Ventura-Bort - , Universität Potsdam (Autor:in)
  • Renee M Visser - , Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) (Autor:in)
  • Henry Völzke - , Universitätsklinikum Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Albert Wabnegger - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)
  • André Wannemüller - , Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) (Autor:in)
  • Julia Wendt - , Universität Potsdam (Autor:in)
  • Hans-Ulrich Wittchen - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Katharina Wittfeld - , Universitätsklinikum Greifswald (Autor:in)
  • Yunbo Yang - , Stiftung Universität Hildesheim (Autor:in)
  • Anna Zilverstand - , University of Minnesota (Autor:in)
  • Peter Zwanzger - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Lianne Schmaal - , University of Melbourne (Autor:in)
  • Moji Aghajani - , Leiden University (Autor:in)
  • Daniel S Pine - , National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Autor:in)
  • Paul M Thompson - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Autor:in)
  • Nic J A van der Wee - , Leiden University (Autor:in)
  • Dan J Stein - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Ulrike Lueken - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Autor:in)
  • Nynke A Groenewold - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)

Abstract

Specific phobia (SPH) is a prevalent anxiety disorder and may involve advanced biological aging. However, limited brain age research has been conducted in anxiety disorders. This mega-analysis investigated brain aging in SPH participants within the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group. 3D brain structural MRI scans from 17 international samples (600 SPH individuals, of whom 504 formally diagnosed and 96 questionnaire-based cases; 1134 controls; age range: 22–75 years) were processed with FreeSurfer. Brain age was estimated from 77 subcortical and cortical regions with a publicly available ENIGMA brain age model. The brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) was calculated as brain age minus chronological age. Linear mixed-effects models examined group differences in brain-PAD and moderation by age. No significant group difference in brain-PAD manifested (β diagnosis [SE] = 0.37 years [0.43], p = 0.39). A negative diagnosis-by-age interaction was identified, which was most pronounced in formally diagnosed SPH (β diagnosis-by-age = −0.08 [0.03], pFDR = 0.02). This interaction remained significant when excluding participants with anxiety comorbidities, depressive comorbidities, and medication use. Post hoc analyses revealed a group difference for formal SPH diagnosis in younger participants (22–35 years; β diagnosis = 1.20 [0.60], p < 0.05, mixed-effects d [95% confidence interval] = 0.14 [0.00–0.28]), but not older participants (36–75 years; β diagnosis = 0.07 [0.65], p = 0.91). Brain aging did not relate to SPH in the full sample. However, a diagnosis-by-age interaction was observed across analyses, and was strongest in formally diagnosed SPH. Post hoc analyses showed subtle advanced brain aging in young adults with formally diagnosed SPH. Taken together, these findings indicate the importance of clinical severity, impairment, and persistence, and may suggest a slightly earlier end to maturational processes or subtle decline of brain structure in SPH.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere70595
FachzeitschriftHuman brain mapping
Jahrgang47
Ausgabenummer10
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Juli 2026
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 105043884401
ORCID /0000-0002-9687-5527/work/220697305
ORCID /0000-0002-7762-4327/work/220700499

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Adult, Aged, Aging/pathology, Brain/diagnostic imaging, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Phobic Disorders/diagnostic imaging, Young Adult, brain age, machine learning, neuroimaging, mega-analysis, brain morphometry, phobic disorders