Clinical Science Brown Bag: Social threat processing and modulation in social anxiety disorder: Physiological and neurological mechanisms

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with exaggerated emotional reactivity in response to social threat. Previous studies report increased autonomic arousal and hyperactivation in brain regions associated with threat processing in SAD. This hyperactivation to threat is often coupled with hypoactivation in areas associated with emotion modulation and attentional control. I will present a series of studies designed to identify the specific physiological and neurological mechanisms underlying threat processing and modulation in SAD. Efforts to develop computer-based treatment approaches to modify threat processing in SAD will be discussed as an area for future investigation.