Trait-Like Visual Cortical Hyperactivity in Trait Anxiety

Authors

Zhaohan Wu
Yuqi You
Joshua A Brown
Raymond J Dolan
Wen Li

Language

English

Publication Date

12-20-2025

Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-67480-3

PMID

41422106

PMCID

PMC12824385

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

12-20-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Sensory processing varies across individuals, with some traits-particularly sensory hypersensitivity to basic non-valenced stimuli-linked to emotional traits and psychiatric risk. Traditional accounts attribute this sensory-emotion linkage to limbic or prefrontal modulation, but empirical support is limited. Growing evidence suggests sensory cortex itself flexibly encodes value beyond labeled-line analysis. Across four high-density EEG experiments with multi-wave assessments, we identified reliable visual cortical hyperactivity in high trait anxiety. The effect emerged as early as 46 ms, localized to V1/V2, and was specific to the parvocellular pathway. It was reproducible across arousal states, stimulus valence, extended intervals, and paradigms, and evident for both simple (grating) and complex real-world images. Importantly, cortical excitation-inhibition balance (EEG aperiodic exponent/1/f slope) predicted parvocellular responses in low- but not high-anxiety individuals, implicating disrupted E/I modulation. Thus, trait anxiety alters early visual processing, aligning cortical computations with an individual's intrinsic biological propensity from the outset.

Keywords

Humans, Anxiety, Visual Cortex, Electroencephalography, Male, Female, Adult, Young Adult, Photic Stimulation, Arousal, Visual Perception, Adolescent, Sensory processing, Risk factors

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Wu, Zhaohan; You, Yuqi; Brown, Joshua A; et al., "Trait-Like Visual Cortical Hyperactivity in Trait Anxiety" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 6115.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/6115