EEG Microstate Analysis in Drug-Naive Patients with Panic Disorder

Patients with panic disorder (PD) have a bias to respond to normal stimuli in a fearful way. This may be due to the preactivation of fear-associated networks prior to stimulus perception. Based on EEG, we investigated the difference between patients with PD and normal controls in resting state activity using features of transiently stable brain states (microstates). EEGs from 18 drug-naive patients and 18 healthy controls were analyzed. Microstate analysis showed that one class of microstates (with a right-anterior to left-posterior orientation of the mapped field) displayed longer durations and covered more of the total time in the patients than controls. Another microstate class (with a symmetric, anterior-posterior orientation) was observed less frequently in the patients compared to controls. The observation that selected microstate classes differ between patients with PD and controls suggests that specific brain functions are altered already during resting condition. The altered resting state may be the starting point of the observed dysfunctional processing of phobic stimuli

Panic Disorder, Panic Attacks and Panic Attack Symptoms across Race-Ethnic Groups: Results of the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies

Contains fulltext : 191375.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The current study investigates race-ethnic differences in rates of panic disorder, panic attacks and certain panic attack symptoms by jointly combining three major national epidemiological databases. The compared groups were White, African American, Latino and Asian. The White group had significantly higher rates of panic disorder, and of many panic symptoms, including palpitations, as compared to the African American, Asian and Latino groups. Several expected race-ethnic differences were not found. An explanation for these findings are adduced, and suggestions are given for future studies so that possible ethnic-racial differences in panic disorder, panic attacks and panic attack symptoms can be investigated in a more rigorous manner

How to handle anxiety: The effects of reappraisal, acceptance, and suppression strategies on anxious arousal

Item does not contain fulltextIt has been suggested that reappraisal strategies are more effective than suppression strategies for regulating emotions. Recently, proponents of the acceptance-based behavior therapy movement have further emphasized the importance of acceptance-based emotion regulation techniques. In order to directly compare these different emotion regulation strategies, 202 volunteers were asked to give an impromptu speech in front of a video camera. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The Reappraisal group was instructed to regulate their anxious arousal by reappraising the situation; the Suppression group was asked to suppress their anxious behaviors; and the Acceptance group was instructed to accept their anxiety. As expected, the Suppression group showed a greater increase in heart rate from baseline than the Reappraisal and Acceptance groups. Moreover, the Suppression group reported more anxiety than the Reappraisal group. However, the Acceptance and Suppression groups did not differ in their subjective anxiety response. These results Suggest that both reappraising and accepting anxiety is More effective for moderating the physiological arousal than suppressing anxiety. However, reappraising is more effective for moderating the subjective feeling of anxiety than attempts to suppress or accept it

Travellers? Tales in Cognitive Bias Modification Research: A Commentary on the Special Issue

This brief commentary reflects on the current Special Issue on ?Cognitive Bias Modification Techniques: Current findings and future challenges?. We consider past perspectives, present findings and future applications of ?cognitive bias modification? (CBM) training procedures. In an interview with Marcella L. Woud, Bundy Mackintosh responds with her thoughts as an experienced ?traveler?, given her pioneering work at the early stages of CBM research. Elaine Fox provides an overview of developments since the last special issue on CBM that she helped to co-edit in 2009, and Emily A. Holmes reflects on what might need to be done in order to translate the results of CBM research into therapeutic practice. All three conclude that, much as we might wish for a CBM ?tardis? time travel machine, there is much basic and translational science work to be done before the fruits of CBM research will be seen in the clinic. Systematic, thorough, and collaborative efforts will be needed, and we urge researchers to pay more attention to developing appropriate methodologies to enable the ?transfer? of training to clinical symptoms. Given the colossal clinical need to innovate and develop the content and delivery of mental health treatments, CBM research needs to keep travelling slowly, surely, and further. It is important to note that given low intensity of delivery, even studies with small effect sizes may be beneficial at a public health level. We should keep going, but retain strong roots in experimental psychopathology to maintain the quality and understanding of how cognitive factors are central to mental health and to the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions