We cannot predict the development of social anxiety from brain scans, study says

AI Summary

A study finds that childhood behavioral inhibition is associated with later social anxiety, but brain scans cannot reliably predict who will develop the disorder. The findings caution against using neuroimaging to identify early risk on its own.

Freezing when a stranger enters the room, retreating to a parent's lap or being reluctant to approach other children: inhibited behavior in childhood is strongly associated with social anxiety disorder later in life. But is this inhibition also reflected in the brain, and could brain scans therefore help identify the early signs of social anxiety disorder?