Large-scale brain network connectivity under anxiety induced by
naturalistic story listening 

Nathan Chang (Single Student Author)

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The triple network model, based on the salience network (SN), default mode network (DMN), and central executive network (CEN) in the brain, provides a framework for understanding how anxiety influences brain activity. Here, we hypothesized that the functional connectivity patterns of these networks represent anxiety. This hypothesis was tested using a previously published functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset in which the level of anxiety was experimentally manipulated while participants listened to a modified short story. The story, Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes, was narrated to two different groups; one received a backstory designed to elicit anxiety (experimental) while the other did not (control). Based on our hypothesis, we predicted that the functional connectivity within the three networks differs between the two groups at the point where the tension of the story reaches its maximum. Consistent with this prediction, the network density (the degree to which different brain regions communicate with each other) was significantly greater in the experimental group compared to the control group. In particular, the CEN serves as a bridge tightly connecting the DMN and SN, which may be interpreted as empathy and emotion coming together under focused attention when experiencing tension. Our findings demonstrate that anxiety and tension during reading significantly alter the functional connectivity of the SN, DMN, and CEN. This research provides a possibility for creating more accurate diagnostic tools and personalized treatments for anxiety disorders by comparing the connectivity patterns of those without and with anxiety disorders.