Comparison of Brain-Behavioral Systems in Patient with Anxiety, Patient with depression and Healthy Individuals

Brain-Behavioral Systems contribute to the development of wide variety of emotional disorders, including anxiety and depression.  The aim of this study was to compare the Brain- Behavioral Systems in patients with anxiety, patients with depression, and healthy individuals.

This study was a cross-sectional study in which 45 individuals with anxiety (moderate to high score in Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and low score in BDI-II) and 45 individuals with depression (moderate to high score in Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and low score in BAI) who referred to private and public health centers in Jiroft were selected through purposive sampling and matched with 45 healthy individuals (low score in BDI-II and BAI) for age and gender. After informed consent, participants were asked to fill the questionnaires including  Jackson-5 Scale, 2nd version of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and were allocated to different groups based on the score of the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance by spss21 software.

Result showed that there were significant differences between three groups in Behavior Inhibition System, Fight, Flight and Freeze. Also, the differences were not significant in Behavioral Activation System.

Given the different functions of the Brain -Behavioral Systems in patients with anxiety, patients with depression, and healthy individuals, this theory may explain the etiology of anxiety and depression.