Abstract
Background
Trait anxiety is characterized by impaired gating of threat from working memory (WM), allowing unnecessary maintenance of anxious cognitions. Improving filtering efficiency of threatening information through computerized WM training might reduce intrusive, worrisome thoughts.
Methods
We randomized high-trait anxious individuals to 9 sessions of high-potency n-back (n = 19) or low-potency 1-back (n = 18) training to examine their effects on various neurocognitive indices of WM functioning and emotional symptoms.
Results
Following the interventions, multilevel modeling analyses revealed both training conditions resulted in significant improvements in attentional (Flanker), WM capacity (operation and spatial span tasks), and WM filtering efficiency (change detection task) measures, and increased N2 amplitudes. However, the high-potency training produced more favorable results at post-training, indexed by larger ERN amplitudes. We also observed significant reductions in trait anxiety and worry symptoms for the high-potency training following the intervention, although, low-potency training caught up at follow-up with comparably reduced symptoms.
Conclusions
These results show that emotional WM training can improve neurocognitive processes of attention and WM as well as symptoms of worrying. Overall, this study encourages the development of a standalone or adjunctive cognitive intervention focused on WM for vulnerable populations with high trait anxiety or worry symptoms.
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Notes
Over the course of data collection, we identified that event triggers within the change detection task were misplaced due to technical issues of the software, which invalidated part of the ERP data from this task. Thus, we presented only behavioral data from the change detection task. However, it should be noted that behavioral data are intact and their pattern (i.e., the accuracy across different target and distracter conditions) is consistent with existing data (Stout et al 2013, 2015).
It appears that WMT produced a negligible change in the level of trait anxiety. Trait anxiety is a broader and more dispositional vulnerability to experience anxiety symptoms across a wide range of contexts (Eysenck 1987; Girdron 2013). Thus, it is possible that trait anxiety may not be directly relevant as an immediate training outcome for short-term WMT, and it requires more intensive training (Sari et al. 2016).
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Stephanie Brooks, Shannon Cavanaugh, Sarah Lehman, Erin Peterson, and Marie Yaroch for their assistance in data collection, and James E. Schacht for reviewing the draft of the manuscript.
Funding
This study is supported by a Grant from the Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of research awarded to Salahadin Lotfi and Han-Joo Lee (AAA8881), and UWM Research Growth Initiative Grant awarded to Christine Larson and Han-Joo Lee.
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Salahadin Lotfi, Richard T. Ward, Maryam Ayazi, Ken P. Bennett, Christine L. Larson, and Han-Joo Lee declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Lotfi, S., Ward, R.T., Ayazi, M. et al. The Effects of Emotional Working Memory Training on Worry Symptoms and Error-Related Negativity of Individuals with High Trait Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Study. Cogn Ther Res 45, 969–985 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10164-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10164-7