Amygdala reactivity to emotional faces at high and low intensity in generalized social phobia: A 4T functional MRI study

Abstract

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured amygdala reactivity to faces varying on emotional intensity in subjects with generalized social phobia (GSP) and matched healthy controls, and observed greater bilateral activation to high (vs. low) intensity expressions in the phobic group, suggesting that more arousing social–emotional cues contribute to limbic hyperactivity in GSP.