The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: White Noise—Is Anxiety in Late-Life Associated With White Matter Hyperintensity Burden?

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in late life, with symptoms including severe (uncontrollable) worry and rumination. Late-life anxiety, worry, and rumination in the context of the aging brain can be associated with differences in volume and thickness of gray matter regions in the brain, as well as altered functional connectivity in the networks involved in emotion generation and regulation, but these changes may differ by anxiety phenotypes. 

The investigators recruited 110 individuals aged 50 or older, who did or did not have anxiety and/or mood disorders, and assessed their worry severity and cognitive function. Participants underwent one MRI session.

Click here to read the original article posted on Pitt’s website, and here to read the published paper.