Amygdala hyperactivation during symptom provocation in obsessive-compulsive disorder and its modulation by distraction.

Anxiety disorders have been linked to a hyperactivated cortico-amygdalar circuitry. Recent findings highlight the amygdala's role in mediating elevated anxiety in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, modulation of amygdala hyperactivation by attentional distraction - an effective emotion regulation strategy in healthy individuals - has not yet been examined.

Association with positive outcome induces early effects in event-related brain potentials.

Emotional pictures, faces, or words elicit an early posterior negativity (EPN) in the event-related potential, starting around 200-400 ms, followed by a late positive complex (LPC). Occasionally, also very early effects of emotion (VEEEs) are seen prior to 200 ms. The present study examined whether VEEEs can be due to direct links established by reinforcement learning.