Temperament, shyness, and anxiety disorders: Looking for links across the lifespan

Temperamental shyness is an early appearing, extreme form of shyness that is observed in approximately 5-10% of typically developing children. This form of shyness is associated with a pattern of heightened fearfulness and behavioral restraint in the face of both social and non-social forms of novelty and serves as a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders later in life. Here we provide a brief overview of this temperamental style, with a special focus on its biological underpinnings and its expression across the lifespan. Our findings suggest that temperamentally shy individuals exhibit a distinct pattern of central and autonomic physiology that is associated with hypersensitive forebrain-limbic circuits. These differences in neurophysiology emerge during early post-natal life, are evident during resting conditions and in response to various social stressors, and appear to remain modestly stable throughout development, possibly pre-disposing individuals for further psychopathology. We also discuss the importance of dynamic interactions between genes and environments (both exogenous and endogenous) in the development of socio-affective systems and the utility of psychophysiological measures in helping us to bridge the gap among genes, brains and behaviors. © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.