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Abrams KB, Folger IT, Cullen NA, Wichlinski LJ. Biochemical challenges for testing novel anti-panic drugs in humans. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 242:173825. [PMID: 39009088 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Current medications for panic disorder each carry significant limitations that indicate the need for novel anxiolytics. The high costs and low success rates of drug development demand that testing trials be efficient. Lab panicogenic challenges in humans allow for the rapid biochemical induction of panic symptoms and hence an efficient means of testing potential anti-panic drugs. This paper describes ideal characteristics of lab panicogens, reviews the validity and utility of various biochemical panicogenic agents, identifies key outcome measures for studies of novel anti-panic drugs, and makes broad recommendations for labs wishing to perform such studies. We conclude by presenting a four-tiered hierarchy of panicogens that matches each against ideal characteristics and reflects our recommendations for their laboratory use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth B Abrams
- Department of Psychology, Carleton College, United States of America.
| | - Isabel T Folger
- Department of Psychology, Carleton College, United States of America
| | - Nancy A Cullen
- Department of Psychology, Carleton College, United States of America
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Kyriakoulis P, Kyrios M. Biological and cognitive theories explaining panic disorder: A narrative review. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:957515. [PMID: 36793941 PMCID: PMC9924294 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.957515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The current narrative review summarizes and examines several theories of panic disorder (PD) including biological theories, encompassing neurochemical factors, metabolic and genetic theories, respiratory and hyperventilation theories and cognitive theory. Biological theories have informed the development of psychopharmacological treatments; however, they may be limited in their utility given the efficacy of psychological treatments. In particular, behavioral and, more recently, cognitive models have garnered support due to the efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) in treating PD. The role of combination treatments has been found to be superior in the treatment of PD in particular cases, lending support for the need for an integrated approach and model for PD given that the etiology of PD is complex and multifactorial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kyriakoulis
- Faculty of Arts, Health and Design, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Kyrios
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Órama Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
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Sarasso P, Francesetti G, Roubal J, Gecele M, Ronga I, Neppi-Modona M, Sacco K. Beauty and Uncertainty as Transformative Factors: A Free Energy Principle Account of Aesthetic Diagnosis and Intervention in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:906188. [PMID: 35911596 PMCID: PMC9325967 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.906188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drawing from field theory, Gestalt therapy conceives psychological suffering and psychotherapy as two intentional field phenomena, where unprocessed and chaotic experiences seek the opportunity to emerge and be assimilated through the contact between the patient and the therapist (i.e., the intentionality of contacting). This therapeutic approach is based on the therapist’s aesthetic experience of his/her embodied presence in the flow of the healing process because (1) the perception of beauty can provide the therapist with feedback on the assimilation of unprocessed experiences; (2) the therapist’s attentional focus on intrinsic aesthetic diagnostic criteria can facilitate the modification of rigid psychopathological fields by supporting the openness to novel experiences. The aim of the present manuscript is to review recent evidence from psychophysiology, neuroaesthetic research, and neurocomputational models of cognition, such as the free energy principle (FEP), which support the notion of the therapeutic potential of aesthetic sensibility in Gestalt psychotherapy. Drawing from neuroimaging data, psychophysiology and recent neurocognitive accounts of aesthetic perception, we propose a novel interpretation of the sense of beauty as a self-generated reward motivating us to assimilate an ever-greater spectrum of sensory and affective states in our predictive representation of ourselves and the world and supporting the intentionality of contact. Expecting beauty, in the psychotherapeutic encounter, can help therapists tolerate uncertainty avoiding impulsive behaviours and to stay tuned to the process of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Sarasso
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Pietro Sarasso,
| | - Gianni Francesetti
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Jan Roubal
- Psychotherapy Training Gestalt Studia, Training in Psychotherapy Integration, Center for Psychotherapy Research in Brno, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Michela Gecele
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Ronga
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Neppi-Modona
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Sacco
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Clark AE, Goodwin SR, Marks RM, Belcher AM, Heinlein E, Bennett ME, Roche DJ. A Narrative Literature Review of the Epidemiology, Etiology, and Treatment of Co-Occurring Panic Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder. J Dual Diagn 2021; 17:313-332. [PMID: 34582313 PMCID: PMC9487392 DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2021.1965407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Panic disorder is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that often co-occurs with substance use disorders. Given the current opioid epidemic, the high reported rates of comorbid panic disorder and opioid use disorder are particularly concerning. In this narrative review, we describe the literature on panic disorder and opioid use disorder co-occurrence. METHODS 86 studies, 26 reviews, 2 commentaries, and 5 guidelines pertaining to opioid use disorder, panic disorder, and their comorbidity were identified using all EBSCO databases, PubMed, and Google Scholar. RESULTS First, we review epidemiological literature on the prevalence of the comorbid condition above and beyond each disorder on its own. Additionally, we discuss the challenges that complicate the differential diagnosis of panic disorder and opioid use disorder and contribute to difficulties establishing rates of comorbidity. Second, we review three theoretical models that have been proposed to explain high rates of co-occurring panic disorder and opioid use disorder: the precipitation hypothesis, the self-medication hypothesis, and the shared vulnerability hypothesis. Third, we outline how co-occurring panic and opioid use disorder may impact treatment for each condition. CONCLUSION Based on findings in the field, we provide recommendations for future research as well as treatment considerations for co-occurring panic and opioid use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashton E. Clark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shelby R. Goodwin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Russell M. Marks
- Department of Psychiatry, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Annabelle M. Belcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Emily Heinlein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Melanie E. Bennett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Daniel J.O. Roche
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Francesetti G, Alcaro A, Settanni M. Panic disorder: attack of fear or acute attack of solitude? Convergences between affective neuroscience and phenomenological-Gestalt perspective. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 23:421. [PMID: 32913822 PMCID: PMC7451360 DOI: 10.4081/ripppo.2020.421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
There is consensus among scientists in considering Panic Attack (PA) as an exaggerated fear response triggered by intense activation of the amygdala and related Fear brain network. Current guidelines for treatment (e.g. National Institute for Clinical Excellence, NICE, 2011), that are based on this view, do not achieve satisfactory results: one-third of all treated patients report persistent PAs and other Panic Disorder (PD) symptoms, and several meta-analyses report the high likelihood of relapse. Here we review findings from Affective Neuroscience and clinical insights from a phenomenological-Gestalt perspective, putting into question the link between PD and activation of the Fear brain network. We propose an alternative hypothesis about PD etiology: PD is mainly connected to the Panic system, that is activated in situations of separation from affective support and overexposure to the environment. In our view, PA can be understood as an acute attack of solitude which is not adequately recognized by the patient due to the intervention of a dissociative component that makes it impossible to integrate all neuro-physiological responses activated by the Panic/Separation brain system within a coherent emotional feeling. This perspective can explain many evidences that otherwise remain isolated elements without a comprehensive frame: i.e., the association with agoraphobia, the onset of PD during adolescence and young adult life, the need to be accompanied, the connection with air hunger and other respiratory anomalies, the efficacy of antidepressants and the lack of activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axe. We discuss future steps to test this hypothesis and the consequences for psychotherapeutic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianni Francesetti
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology - IPsiG.,Department of Psychology, University of Turin
| | - Antonio Alcaro
- Santa Lucia Foundation, European Centre for Brain Research, Italy
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Machado S, Sancassiani F, Paes F, Rocha N, Murillo-Rodriguez E, Nardi AE. Panic disorder and cardiovascular diseases: an overview. Int Rev Psychiatry 2017; 29:436-444. [PMID: 28893114 DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2017.1357540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The association between panic disorder (PD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been extensively studied in recent years and, although some studies have shown anxiety disorders co-existing or increasing the risk of heart disease, no causal hypothesis has been well established. Thus, a critical review was performed of the studies that evaluated the association between PD and cardiovascular diseases; synthesizing the evidence on the mechanisms mediators that theoretically would be the responsible for the causal pathway between PD and CVD, specifically. This overview shows epidemiological studies, and discusses biological mechanisms that could link PD to CVD, such as pleiotropy, heart rate variability, unhealthy lifestyle, atherosclerosis, mental stress, and myocardial perfusion defects. This study tried to provide a comprehensive narrative synthesis of previously published information regarding PD and CVD and open new possibilities of clinical management and pathophysiological understanding. Some epidemiological studies have indicated that PD could be a risk factor for CVD, raising morbidity and mortality in PD, suggesting an association between them. These studies argue that PD pathophysiology could cause or potentiate CVD. However, there is no evidence in favour of a causal relationship between PD and CVD. Therefore, PD patients with suspicions of cardiovascular symptoms need redoubled attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Machado
- a Physical Activity Neuroscience Laboratory , Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO) , Niterói , RJ , Brazil.,b Laboratory of Panic & Respiration (LABPR) , Institute of Psychiatry (IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.,c Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group
| | - Federica Sancassiani
- d Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine , University of Cagliari , Italy
| | - Flavia Paes
- b Laboratory of Panic & Respiration (LABPR) , Institute of Psychiatry (IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
| | - Nuno Rocha
- c Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group.,e School of Allied Health Sciences , Polytechnic Institute of Porto , Porto , Portugal
| | - Eric Murillo-Rodriguez
- c Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group.,f Laboratorio de Neurociencias Moleculares e Integrativas, Escuela de Medicina División Ciencias de la Salud , Universidad Anáhuac Mayab , Mérida , Yucatán , México.,g Grupo de Investigación en Envejecimiento, División Ciencias de la Salud , Universidad Anáhuac Mayab , Mérida , Yucatán , México
| | - Antonio Egidio Nardi
- a Physical Activity Neuroscience Laboratory , Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO) , Niterói , RJ , Brazil
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Graeff FG. Translational approach to the pathophysiology of panic disorder: Focus on serotonin and endogenous opioids. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76:48-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Milrod B, Altemus M, Gross C, Busch F, Silver G, Christos P, Stieber J, Schneier F. Adult separation anxiety in treatment nonresponders with anxiety disorders: delineation of the syndrome and exploration of attachment-based psychotherapy and biomarkers. Compr Psychiatry 2016; 66:139-45. [PMID: 26995247 PMCID: PMC8363051 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinically significant separation anxiety [SA] has been identified as being common among patients who do not respond to psychiatric interventions, regardless of intervention type (pharmacological or psychotherapeutic), across anxiety and mood disorders. An attachment formation and maintenance domain has been proposed as contributing to anxiety disorders. We therefore directly determined prevalence of SA in a population of adult treatment non-responders suffering from primary anxiety. In these separation anxious nonresponders, we pilot-tested an SA-focused, attachment-based psychotherapy for anxiety, Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy-eXtended Range [PFPP-XR], and assessed whether hypothesized biomarkers of attachment were engaged. We studied separation anxiety [SA] in 46 adults (ages 23-70 [mean 43.9 (14.9)]) with clinically significant anxiety symptoms (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HARS]≥15), and reporting a history of past non-response to psychotherapy and/or medication treatments. Thirty-seven (80%) had clinically significant symptoms of separation anxiety (Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms [SCI-SAS] score≥8). Five of these subjects completed an open clinical trial of Panic Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy eXtended Range [PFPP-XR], a 21-24 session, 12-week manualized attachment-focused anxiolytic psychodynamic psychotherapy for anxiety. Patients improved on "adult threshold" SCI-SAS (current separation anxiety) (p=.016), HARS (p=0.002), and global severity, assessed by the Clinical Global Impression Scale (p=.0006), at treatment termination. Salivary oxytocin levels decreased 67% after treatment (p=.12). There was no significant change in high or low frequency HRV after treatment, but change in high frequency HRV inversely correlated with treatment change in oxytocin (p<.02), and change in low frequency HRV was positively associated with change in oxytocin (p<.02). SA is surprisingly prevalent among non-responders to standard anti-anxiety treatments, and it may represent a novel transdiagnostic target for treatment intervention in this population. Anxiety and global function improved in a small trial of a brief, manualized, attachment-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy, potentially supporting the clinical relevance of attachment dysfunction in this sample. The large decrease in oxytocin levels with treatment, although not statistically significant in this very small sample, suggests the need for further study of oxytocin as a putative biomarker or mediator of SA response. These pilot data generate testable hypotheses supporting an attachment domain underlying treatment-resistant anxiety, and new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Milrod
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Margaret Altemus
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Charles Gross
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Fredric Busch
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Gabrielle Silver
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Paul Christos
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joshua Stieber
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
| | - Franklin Schneier
- Weill Cornell Medical College, 525 East 68(th) Street, NY 10065, USA
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Collapsed Jugular Vein and abnormal cerebral blood flow changes in patients of Panic Disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2014; 58:155-60. [PMID: 25171942 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Panic disorder (PD) is characterized by panic attacks accompanied with respiratory symptoms. Internal jugular vein (IJV) alters its hemodynamics in response to respiration and which might cause cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes. In the present study, we compared (1) respiratory-related IJV hemodynamics and (2) CBF changes during Valsalva maneuver (VM) between PD and normal subjects. METHODS 42 PD patients and age/gender-matched controls (14 men; 52.3 ± 11.4 years) were recruited. Duplex ultrasonography measured time-averaged mean velocity (TAMV) and lumen in IJV at baseline and deep inspiration. Lumen area <0.10 cm(2) at deep inspiration was defined as IJV collapse. CBF changes during VM were recorded by transcranial Doppler (TCD). RESULTS Compared with normal group, PD patients had significantly higher frequency of IJV collapse at deep inspiration (Left: 40.0% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.0003, Right: 17.0% vs. 0%, p = 0.0119). IJV collapse was associated with symptoms of respiratory subtype in our PD patients. PD group also had smaller lumen (Left: 0.53 ± 0.29 vs. 0.55 ± 0.26 cm(2), p = 0.8296, Right: 0.63 ± 0.36 vs. 0.93 ± 0.45 cm(2), p = 0.0014) and slower TAMV of IJV at baseline (Left: 11.8 ± 8.43 vs. 20.6 ± 16.5 cm/s, p = 0.0003, Right: 15.9 ± 9.19 vs. 24.1 ± 15.7 cm/s, p = 0.0062). PD patients with inspiration-induced IJV collapse had more decreased CBF during VM compared with the other PD patients and normal individuals respectively. INTERPRETATION We are the first to show that PD have less IJV flow at baseline and more frequent collapse at deep inspiration. Inspiration-induced IJV collapsed was associated with CBF decrement during VM in PD patients. These results suggest that venous drainage impairment might play a role in the pathophysiology of PD by influencing CBF.
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Serotonin in anxiety and panic: Contributions of the elevated T-maze. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 3:397-406. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2013] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Battaglia M, Ogliari A, D’Amato F, Kinkead R. Early-life risk factors for panic and separation anxiety disorder: Insights and outstanding questions arising from human and animal studies of CO2 sensitivity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 3:455-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2013] [Revised: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Telemonitoring with respect to mood disorders and information and communication technologies: overview and presentation of the PSYCHE project. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:104658. [PMID: 25050321 PMCID: PMC4094725 DOI: 10.1155/2014/104658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Revised: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
This paper reviews what we know about prediction in relation to mood disorders from the perspective of clinical, biological, and physiological markers. It then also presents how information and communication technologies have developed in the field of mood disorders, from the first steps, for example, the transition from paper and pencil to more sophisticated methods, to the development of ecological momentary assessment methods and, more recently, wearable systems. These recent developments have paved the way for the use of integrative approaches capable of assessing multiple variables. The PSYCHE project stands for Personalised monitoring SYstems for Care in mental HEalth.
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Preter M, Klein DF. Lifelong opioidergic vulnerability through early life separation: a recent extension of the false suffocation alarm theory of panic disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 3:345-51. [PMID: 24726574 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The present paper is the edited version of our presentations at the "First World Symposium On Translational Models Of Panic Disorder", in Vitoria, E.S., Brazil, on November 16-18, 2012. We also review relevant work that appeared after the conference. Suffocation-False Alarm Theory (Klein, 1993) postulates the existence of an evolved physiologic suffocation alarm system that monitors information about potential suffocation. Panic attacks maladaptively occur when the alarm is erroneously triggered. The expanded Suffocation-False Alarm Theory (Preter and Klein, 2008) hypothesizes that endogenous opioidergic dysregulation may underlie the respiratory pathophysiology and suffocation sensitivity in panic disorder. Opioidergic dysregulation increases sensitivity to CO2, separation distress and panic attacks. That sudden loss, bereavement and childhood separation anxiety are also antecedents of "spontaneous" panic requires an integrative explanation. Our work unveiling the lifelong endogenous opioid system impairing effects of childhood parental loss (CPL) and parental separation in non-ill, normal adults opens a new experimental, investigatory area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Preter
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Donald F Klein
- Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, 550 1st Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Muotri RW, Bernik MA. Panic disorder and exercise avoidance. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2014; 36:68-75. [DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2012-1012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Klein DF. Difficulties in panic studies. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PSIQUIATRIA (SAO PAULO, BRAZIL : 1999) 2013; 35:215-216. [PMID: 24142079 DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2013-3502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
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Freire RC, Nardi AE. Panic disorder and the respiratory system: clinical subtype and challenge tests. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PSIQUIATRIA (SAO PAULO, BRAZIL : 1999) 2013; 34 Suppl 1:S32-41. [PMID: 22729448 DOI: 10.1590/s1516-44462012000500004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Respiratory changes are associated with anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder (PD). The stimulation of respiration in PD patients during panic attacks is well documented in the literature, and a number of abnormalities in respiration, such as enhanced CO2 sensitivity, have been detected in PD patients. Investigators hypothesized that there is a fundamental abnormality in the physiological mechanisms that control breathing in PD. METHODS The authors searched for articles regarding the connection between the respiratory system and PD, more specifically papers on respiratory challenges, respiratory subtype, and current mechanistic concepts. CONCLUSIONS Recent evidences support the presence of subclinical changes in respiration and other functions related to body homeostasis in PD patients. The fear network, comprising the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala and its brainstem projections, may be abnormally sensitive in PD patients, and respiratory stimulants like CO2 may trigger panic attacks. Studies indicate that PD patients with dominant respiratory symptoms are particularly sensitive to respiratory tests compared to those who do not manifest dominant respiratory symptoms, representing a distinct subtype. The evidence of changes in several neurochemical systems might be the expression of the complex interaction among brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael C Freire
- Laboratory of Panic and Respiration, National Institute for Translational Medicine Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Abstract
This paper is the thirty-fourth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2011 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurologic disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration (Section 16); and immunological responses (Section 17).
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
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Freire RC, Nardi AE. Panic disorder and the respiratory system: clinical subtype and challenge tests. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/s1516-4446(12)70053-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Roncon CM, Biesdorf C, Santana RG, Zangrossi H, Graeff FG, Audi EA. The panicolytic-like effect of fluoxetine in the elevated T-maze is mediated by serotonin-induced activation of endogenous opioids in the dorsal periaqueductal grey. J Psychopharmacol 2012; 26:525-31. [PMID: 22279131 DOI: 10.1177/0269881111434619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT), opioids and the dorsal periaqueductal grey (DPAG) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of panic disorder. In order to study 5-HT-opioid interaction, the opioid antagonist naloxone was injected either systemically (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or intra-DPAG (0.2 μg/0.5 μL) to assess its interference with the effect of chronic fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 21 days) or of intra-DPAG 5-HT (8 μg/0.5 μL). Drug effects were measured in the one-escape task of the rat elevated T-maze, an animal model of panic. Pretreatment with systemic naloxone antagonized the lengthening of escape latency caused by chronic fluoxetine, considered a panicolytic-like effect that parallels the drug's therapeutic response in the clinics. Pretreatment with naloxone injected intra-DPAG antagonized both the panicolytic effect of chronic fluoxetine as well as that of 5-HT injected intra-DPAG. Neither the performance of the inhibitory avoidance task in the elevated T-maze, a model of generalized anxiety nor locomotion measured in a circular arena was affected by the above drug treatments. These results indicate that the panicolytic effect of fluoxetine is mediated by endogenous opioids that are activated by 5-HT in the DPAG. They also allow reconciliation between the serotonergic and opioidergic hypotheses of panic disorder pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila M Roncon
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil
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Graeff FG. New perspective on the pathophysiology of panic: merging serotonin and opioids in the periaqueductal gray. Braz J Med Biol Res 2012; 45:366-75. [PMID: 22437485 PMCID: PMC3854168 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2012007500036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2012] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Panic disorder patients are vulnerable to recurrent panic attacks. Two neurochemical hypotheses have been proposed to explain this susceptibility. The first assumes that panic patients have deficient serotonergic inhibition of neurons localized in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain that organize defensive reactions to cope with proximal threats and of sympathomotor control areas of the rostral ventrolateral medulla that generate most of the neurovegetative symptoms of the panic attack. The second suggests that endogenous opioids buffer normal subjects from the behavioral and physiological manifestations of the panic attack, and their deficit brings about heightened suffocation sensitivity and separation anxiety in panic patients, making them more vulnerable to panic attacks. Experimental results obtained in rats performing one-way escape in the elevated T-maze, an animal model of panic, indicate that the inhibitory action of serotonin on defense is connected with activation of endogenous opioids in the periaqueductal gray. This allows reconciliation of the serotonergic and opioidergic hypotheses of panic pathophysiology, the periaqueductal gray being the fulcrum of serotonin-opioid interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- F G Graeff
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil.
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Abstract
Panic disorder is a common and disabling illness for which treatments are too frequently ineffective. Greater knowledge of the underlying biology could aid the discovery of better therapies. Although panic attacks occur unpredictably, the ability to provoke them in the laboratory with challenge protocols provides an opportunity for crucial insight into the neurobiology of panic. Two of the most well-studied panic provocation challenges are CO(2) inhalation and lactate infusion. Although it remains unclear how these challenges provoke panic animal models of CO(2) and lactate action are beginning to emerge, and offer unprecedented opportunities to probe the molecules and circuits underlying panic attacks. Both CO(2) and lactate alter pH balance and may generate acidosis that can influence neuron function through a growing list of pH-sensitive receptors. These observations suggest that a key to better understanding of panic disorder may He in more knowledge of brain pH regulation and pH-sensitive receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
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Kellner M. Experimental panic provocation in healthy man-a translational role in anti-panic drug development? DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2012. [PMID: 22275853 PMCID: PMC3263395 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2011.13.4/mkellner] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Experimental neurochemical provocation of panic attacks in susceptible human subjects has considerably expanded our knowledge of the pathophysiology and psychopharmacology of panic disorder. Some panicogens also elicit short-lived panic-like states in healthy man. This offers the opportunity to assess the anti-panic action of drugs in proof-of-concept studies. However, from current data it is still unclear whether experimental panic in healthy man is a valid translational model. Most such studies in healthy volunteers have been performed using a cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK-4) challenge. While CCK-4 panic was blocked by alprazolam pretreatment, escitalopram showed negative results in healthy man. Preliminary findings on novel investigational drugs and a few problematic results will be reviewed. Small sample sizes in many panic provocation studies, lack of dose-response aspects, and still-insufficient knowledge about the biological underpinning of experimental and spontaneous panic limit the interpretation of existing findings and should inspire further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kellner
- University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Dept of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Anxiety Spectrum Disorders Unit, Hamburg, Germany.
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Schimitel F, de Almeida G, Pitol D, Armini R, Tufik S, Schenberg L. Evidence of a suffocation alarm system within the periaqueductal gray matter of the rat. Neuroscience 2012; 200:59-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2011] [Revised: 10/14/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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