Intrinsic Brain Networks Underlying the Experience and Expression of Subclinical Anxiety

Anxiety is a multi‑faceted phenomenon encompassing behavioral (e.g., vigilance), physiological (e.g., skin conductance), and subjective (e.g., self‑reported fear) components that often do not align. Kinger and Chakrabarty (2026) investigated whether these dimensions are supported by distinct intrinsic brain networks at rest. They recruited 47 young adults spanning a range of subclinical anxiety levels and measured behavioral responses (reaction time during threat anticipation), physiological arousal (skin conductance), and subjective severity (NIH Fear‑Affect scale). Resting‑state functional connectivity (rsFC) was then analyzed using region‑of‑interest analyses to link each component to neural connectivity patterns.

Three connectivity patterns emerged after correction for multiple comparisons. Higher subclinical anxiety was associated with faster reaction times under temporally uncertain threat (vigilance), which correlated with stronger connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula. Physiological arousal (skin conductance) was uniquely linked to connectivity between the ACC and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Subjective anxiety severity corresponded with increased connectivity between the hippocampus and insula. Additional connections were observed but did not survive stricter correction. These results show that behavioral, physiological, and subjective anxiety map onto partially dissociable intrinsic networks, suggesting that early neural markers for anxiety can be detected even in subclinical populations using resting‑state MRI.