Keywords
Anxiety Disorders
Depressive Disorders
fMRI
EEG
Neural Biomarkers
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Abstract
Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent psychiatric conditions associated with significant disability worldwide. Neuroimaging has advanced understanding of their neural substrates, particularly through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). This integrative review synthesized studies published between 2013 and 2025 retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, including adult clinical samples diagnosed with anxiety and/or depressive disorders. Evidence consistently indicates dysregulation within fronto-limbic circuitry and large-scale brain networks, notably involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and default mode network. fMRI findings highlight altered functional connectivity and impaired emotional regulation, whereas EEG studies reveal abnormalities in oscillatory activity and event-related potentials linked to attentional bias and cognitive control. Although convergent neural markers emerge across modalities, methodological heterogeneity limits reproducibility and clinical application. Multimodal integration of spatial and temporal neural measures may enhance biomarker reliability and support the development of precision psychiatry approaches.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Marina CORRÊA FREITAS, Fabrício Veloso (Author)