A Novel Cognitive Training Program Targets Stimulus-Driven Attention to Alter Symptoms, Behavior, and Neural Circuitry in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: Pilot Clinical Trial

Pediatric anxiety disorders are associated with increased stimulus-driven attention (SDA), the involuntary capture of attention by salient stimuli. Increased SDA is linked to increased activity in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC), especially in the portion corresponding to the ventral attention network (VAN). In this study, we present a small clinical trial using a novel attention training program designed to treat pediatric anxiety by decreasing SDA and activity in the rVLPFC. Children ages 8-12 with anxiety disorders ( = 18) participated in eight sessions of attention training over a 4-week period. At baseline and after completing training, participants completed clinical anxiety measures and a battery of cognitive tasks designed to measure three different aspects of attention: SDA, goal-oriented attention, and threat bias. A subset of participants ( = 12) underwent baseline and post-training neuroimaging while engaged in an SDA task. Brain analyses focused on activity within the rVLPFC. Parent (