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The Cognitive Neuroscience of Anxiety & Trauma (MSc Mental Health) - PSY00116M

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  • Department: Psychology
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Alex Pike
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

This module will cover:

  • What a threat (a real or imagined danger) is
  • Diagnoses relating to threats: particularly different anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • The cognitive neuroscience of how we process threats, including results from brain imaging and cognitive psychology
  • How differences in threat-processing might lead to anxiety disorders (such as phobias or generalized anxiety disorder)
  • How traumatic events might change how we experience threats
  • How understanding the above factors can inform intervention and clinical practice

The existence of threatening situations, stimuli or events is unfortunately a fact of life. Differences in how we process threats (and, indeed, in our thresholds for processing something as a threat) may result in anxiety disorders, which are globally some of the most common and debilitating mental illnesses. Relatedly, traumatic events may also change how we process threats.

The aim of this module is to allow students to understand how threats are processed, both cognitively and neurobiologically, and how threat processing may go awry. A subsidiary aim is to consider how this might change after traumatic experiences. At the end of the module, we will discuss how this knowledge can be applied to treatments for both anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, and the potential for future interventions to be guided by cognitive neuroscience.

This module will be relevant to all students interested in understanding anxiety or PTSD from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, and to all those interested in further clinical work or research in anxiety or PTSD.

Module learning outcomes

  • Identify the similarities and differences between adaptive and maladaptive anxiety, and summarise evolutionary theories of anxiety’s adaptive role
  • Critically evaluate research showing how threat is processed in the brain, and relate these findings to clinical conditions such as phobia and generalised anxiety disorder
  • Synthesise evidence indicating how threat processing may be affected by traumatic experiences
  • Identify brain areas and/or circuits that may be altered after childhood maltreatment or trauma, paediatric PTSD, and adult PTSD
  • Clearly describe relevant constructs and their relationships: anxiety, fear, trauma, threat processing, PTSD, intolerance of uncertainty, catastrophizing
  • Critically discuss and suggest how cognitive neuroscience could be used to guide treatment development, and other clinical applications of cognitive neuroscience

Module content

  • Threat, and adaptive and maladaptive anxiety
  • Anxiety disorders and PTSD: similarities and differences
  • Brain areas involved in threat processing across species
  • A circuit-level approach to threat processing
  • Anxiety disorders and the neurobiology of threat processing
  • Traumatic experiences and the neurobiology of threat processing
  • Clinical psychology constructs: intolerance of uncertainty, catastrophizing
  • Treatments for anxiety and PTSD
  • Mechanisms of treatment
  • Future-focused session: how do we improve the situation?

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay (self cert) : The Cognitive Neuroscience of Anxiety & Trauma		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

None

Module feedback

Marks will be released through e:vision.

Indicative reading

  • Robinson, O. J., Pike, A. C., Cornwell, B., & Grillon, C. (2019). The translational neural circuitry of anxiety. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 90(12), 1353-1360.
  • Bentz, & Schiller, D. (2015). Threat processing: models and mechanisms. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science, 6(5), 427–439. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1353
  • McCrory, E. J., Gerin, M. I., & Viding, E. (2017). Annual research review: childhood maltreatment, latent vulnerability and the shift to preventative psychiatry–the contribution of functional brain imaging. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 58(4), 338-357.
  • Robinson, Vytal, K., Cornwell, B. R., & Grillon, C. (2013). The impact of anxiety upon cognition: perspectives from human threat of shock studies. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 203–203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00203


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.