Contrasting patterns of brain activity in anxious apprehension and anxiousarousal

Evidence suggests that a distinction between anxious apprehension (worry) a nd anxious arousal (somotic anxiety) might account for some discrepancies i n the Literature examining brain activity in anxiety. In the current study, we compared the regional brain activity of groups of anxious apprehension and anxious arousal participants, selected on the basis of self-report meas ures previously shown to be psychometrically distinct from each other and f rom a specific measure of depression. Patterns of hemispheric asymmetry in electroencephalogram alpha distinguished the two types of anxiety, with the anxious arousal group showing more right than left activity. No significan t asymmetry was found for the anxious apprehension group. The results provi de further support for contrasting patterns of brain activity in distinct t ypes of anxiety. Research is needed to specify further the topography and f unctional significance of this distinction.