Isabelle A. Oliva

2 papers in the library · 10 citations · publishing 2020-2024

Papers

Attenuation of Anxiety-Potentiated Startle After Treatment With Escitalopram or Mindfulness Meditation in Anxiety Disorders.

Biological Psychiatry January 1, 2024 Elizabeth A Hoge, Caroline H Armstrong, Mihriye Mete et al. 10 citations

Anxiety disorders are linked to heightened startle responses during unpredictable threat, a physiological marker called anxiety-potentiated startle (APS). In a study of 93 individuals with anxiety disorders and 66 healthy controls, APS was higher in the anxious group at baseline. After eight weeks of treatment with either escitalopram or mindfulness-based stress reduction, both treatment groups showed significantly greater reductions in APS compared to controls, with patients' APS levels falling into the range of healthy individuals. Fear-potentiated startle (FPS), a response to predictable threat, did not differ between groups at baseline nor change with treatment. These results validate APS as a biological correlate of pathological anxiety and provide evidence that mindfulness-based stress reduction can alter anxiety-related neurocircuitry similarly to medication.

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.003 Full text Anxiety-potentiated startle Escitalopram Fear-potentiated startle Mindfulness meditation +2

Investigating the Role of Interpretation Bias in Mindfulness-Based Treatment of Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Frontiers in Psychology February 11, 2020 Elizabeth A Hoge, Hannah E. Reese, Isabelle A. Oliva et al.

Mindfulness-based interventions are effective for many psychological conditions, but how they work is not well understood. This study examined whether changes in negative interpretation bias—measured by a homophone task—explain the link between mindfulness and anxiety in adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Forty-two participants completed measures before and after Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. Contrary to expectations, no indirect relationship was found between baseline mindfulness and anxiety through negative interpretation bias. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction did reduce negative interpretation bias from before to after treatment, but changes in mindfulness did not relate to changes in anxiety through changes in interpretation bias. Overall, the results offer minimal support for the proposed pathway.

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00082 Full text Generalized anxiety disorder Mindfulness Cognitive bias Homophone +1