In support of this possibility, several studies have examined the ERN with respect to personality traits that are closely related to pathological anxiety. Two studies have found that subjects scoring high on negative affect have significantly larger ERN amplitudes compared to subjects scoring low on negative affect (Hajcak, McDonald et al., 2004; Luu et al., 2000). Additionally, pathological worry has been associated with increased ERN amplitude (Hajcak, McDonald, & Simons, 2003a). An fMRI study similarly found increased ACC activity on error trials in individuals with high trait anxiety (Paulus, Feinstein, Simmons, & Stein, 2004).
