Table Risk factors a...
Behavioral inhibition (the temperamental tendency to exhibit restraint and withdrawal when faced with novel or unfamiliar stimuli) is highly linked to the development of GAD and is rooted in a lower threshold for limbic arousal, particularly in the amygdala.9 Several brain imaging studies have shown both increased amygdala volume and activation in response to emotional stimuli in adolescents with GAD.11Adolescents with GAD will show abnormalities in putamen hyperactivation in response to valence decisions (gains versus losses), particularly with anticipated loss.12 The previously mentioned studies suggest that the brain structures regulating emotion in adolescents with GAD are highly reactive to fear-provoking and emotional stimuli as well as to decision making that involves a potential loss or gain.