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Dtsch Arztebl Int 2019 Mar;116(10):159-166

Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University Hospital ofthe Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Institute of Health Economics and Health Care Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; *1 The two authors are co-first authors. *2 The two authors are co-last authors. *3 A list with the names of all collaborators can be found at the end of the article.

Background: We evaluated a team-based program of exercises for patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PDA) in primary care.

Methods: 419 patients with PDA (mean age 46.2 years, standard deviation 14. Read More

J Anxiety Disord 2019 Apr 6;64:55-63. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Pieter De La Court Building, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, the Netherlands; Stichting Benchmark GGZ, Rembrandtlaan 46, 3723 BK Bilthoven, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Background: For routine outcome monitoring, generic (i.e., broad-based) and disorder-specific instruments are used to monitor patient progress. Read More

Neuropsychobiology 2019 Apr 12:1-11. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Behavioral Neurology Division, Saint Luke's Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA,

Laboratory measures have played an integral role in diagnosing pathology; however, compared to traditional medicine, psychiatric medicine has lagged behind in using such measures. A growing body of literature has begun to examine the viability and development of different laboratory measures in order to diagnose psychopathologies. The present review examines the current state of development of both sodium lactate infusion and CO2-35% inhalation as potential ancillary measures to diagnose panic disorder (PD). Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 Apr 9;252:60-67. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Tsaotun Psychiatric Center, Ministry of Health and Welfare, 542 No.161, Yu-Pin Rd, Caotun Township, Nantou, Taiwan, R.O.C.. Electronic address:

Background: Studies have reported an association between allergy and panic disorder. However, few studies have explored the relationship between allergic rhinitis and panic disorder. Previous studies were limited by cross-sectional study designs, self-reported symptoms, absence of matched controls, and lack of consideration of the influence of steroid and comorbidities. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 Mar 26;252:32-38. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Mental Health Center, West China University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Background: MiRNAs are considered to be significant contributors to the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases, but little is known about the potential roles of miRNAs in the treatment effect of panic disorder (PD). Therefore, we aimed to identify the miRNAs association with PD over the course of sertraline treatment.

Methods: Sixty-seven patients were collected for a 6-week period of sertraline treatment, and evaluated using HAMD-17, HAMA-14 and PDSS both at the baseline and 6 weeks later. Read More

J Anxiety Disord 2019 Apr 3;64:40-44. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. Electronic address:

Introduction: Multivariable risk prediction algorithms are useful for making clinical decisions and health planning. While prediction algorithms for new onset of anxiety disorders in Europe and elsewhere have been developed, the performance of these algorithms in the Americas is not known. The objective of this study was to validate the PredictA algorithm for new onset of anxiety and/or panic disorders in the US general population. Read More

Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health 2019 28;15:38-43. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

University of Pisa ,Pisa, Italy.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to measure the lifetime prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among women of an Italian community sample, the comorbidity of PTSD with mood and anxiety disorders and the burden attributable to PTSD in worsening the Quality of Life (QoL).

Methods: Community survey on a sample of 1961 adult women randomly selected. Tools: psychiatric clinical interview ANTAS partially derived from the SCID-DSM-IV, administered by psychologists or medical doctors; Short Form Health Survey (SF-12); Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). Read More

Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health 2019 20;15:30-37. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

University of Cagliari,Cagliari,Italy.

Introduction: The study aimed to see if a community survey conducted by clinical interviewers with semi-structured psychiatric interviews shows lifetime prevalence rates of Specific Phobia (SP) similar to those found by surveys carried out by lay interviewers and if the high level of impairment found in SP may be confirmed.

Methods: This is a community survey on an Italian nationwide sample randomly selected from registers of municipalities. Tools: semi-structured ANTAS psychiatric interview derived from the SCID-DSM-IV, carried out by clinicians (psychologists or physicians); Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) as a measure of Quality of Life (QoL). Read More

CNS Spectr 2019 Apr 11:1-6. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry,University of Pisa,Pisa,Italy.

Objective: To investigate if sleep disturbances may affect treatment outcomes of patients with panic disorder (PD).

Methods: Eighty-five PD outpatients with no Axis I comorbidity for mood disorders completed a baseline assessment (T1) and were evaluated after 3 (T2), 6 (T3) and 12 months (T4), with the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) total score as outcome measure during a 12-month naturalistic follow-up. Patients were assessed with the Mood Spectrum Self-Report (MOODS-SR, Lifetime Version), and the PDSS. Read More

Neuropsychobiology 2019 Apr 10:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,

Background: Recent investigations have highlighted significant differences in verbal recall between patients with panic disorder (PD) and controls. These studies have highlighted that verbal memory and working memory could be impaired in PD.

Objectives: The objective of the present meta-analysis is to confirm this hypothesis, reviewing the studies that have investigated neurocognitive testing in PD. Read More

Neuroscience 2019 Apr 7. Epub 2019 Apr 7.

National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, India. Electronic address:

Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. Disruption of the serotonergic system has been implicated in various psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Most of the drugs targeting these neurotransmitter systems are classified primarily as agonists or inverse agonists/antagonists, with their described function being limited to activating the canonical signaling pathway(s), or inhibiting the pathway(s) respectively. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2019 22;10:150. Epub 2019 Mar 22.

Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.

Illness anxiety disorder (IAD, formerly hypochondriasis) is characterized by preoccupation with fear of serious illness despite medical reassurance. IAD is common, debilitating, challenging to treat, and results in high healthcare utilization. Outpatient management of IAD is challenging because patients can compulsively seek reassurance from numerous providers, which interferes with learning more productive coping skills. Read More

J Psychiatr Res 2019 Apr 2;113:159-164. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Laboratory of Panic & Respiration, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Ataulfo de Paiva 135 S. 609, 22440-901, Brazil.

Abnormalities in the kynurenine pathway (KP) have been implicated in the cognitive deficits of psychiatry disorders, possibly through cytokines that increase the activity of indoleamine-2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), a key enzyme for tryptophan-to-kynurenine conversion. Some studies on panic disorder (PD) have detected elevated cytokines in blood. We aimed to determine the extent to which elevated peripheral cytokine levels and kynurenine/tryptophan (kyn/tryp) ratio (1) are biological markers for PD patients and (2) are related to cognition in PD. Read More

J Psychosom Res 2019 Mar 29. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Department of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Niels Andersens Vej 65, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark.

Objectives: The objectives were to determine: 1) whether patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) presenting with anxiety symptoms measured on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) have identifiable anxiety according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders (SCID) and 2) the type of anxiety, if any, behind a HADS-A score ≥ 8 in patients with an ICD.

Methods: Patients with an ICD were screened using HADS and patients with a HADS-A score ≥ 8 were invited to participate. A total of 88 patients were included in the study and were interviewed using the SCID instrument to determine anxiety or adjustment disorder. Read More

Trends Neurosci 2019 Apr 4. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address:

Neurons in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) integrate negative emotions with the autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune systems to facilitate responses to threat. Modern functional track tracing in animals and optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques show that the PAG is a rich substrate for the integration of active and passive responses to threat. In humans, the same regions of the PAG that give rise to adaptive anger/fight, fear/panic, depression/shutdown, pain, and predatory behaviors in response to challenging situations or overwhelming threats can become activated pathologically, resulting in symptoms that resemble those of psychiatric disorders. Read More

Neuropsychobiology 2019 Apr 4:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany,

Panic disorder (PD) is associated with increased body vigilance and reduced cognitive resources directed at non-fear-related stimuli, particularly in the absence of stimulus-rich environments. To date, only few studies have investigated whether this deficit in PD is reflected in reduced mismatch negativity (MMN), an event-related potential indexing preattentive sensitivity to unexpected stimulus changes. We tested 35 patients affected by PD and 42 matched healthy controls in an oddball paradigm, using frequency and duration deviant stimuli to measure auditory MMN. Read More

Adv Otorhinolaryngol 2019 15;82:170-179. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Research over the last 4 decades has revealed a great deal of information about psychiatric and functional causes, consequences, and comorbidity of vestibular syndromes. Primary care clinicians, neurologists, and otologists who are willing to set aside the 20th century notion of "psychogenic dizziness" and incorporate 21st century concepts about 5 behavioral entities into their practices will be rewarded for their efforts with a marked improvement in diagnostic acumen and therapeutic effectiveness. Panic attacks may cause or contribute to acute or episodic vestibular symptoms. Read More

Behav Cogn Psychother 2019 Apr 2:1-5. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX,USA.

Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for panic disorder encourages patients to learn about and make changes to thoughts and behaviour patterns that maintain symptoms of the disorder. Instruments to assess whether or not patients understand therapy content do not currently exist.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine if increases within specific knowledge domains of panic disorder were related to improvement in panic symptoms following an intensive 2-day panic treatment. Read More

Psychiatry Investig 2019 Mar 21;16(3):249-253. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.

"Comfort women" are survivors of sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, who endured extensive trauma including massive rape and physical torture. While previous studies have been focused on the trauma of the survivors themselves, the effects of the trauma on the offspring has never been evaluated before. In this article, we reviewed the first study on the offspring of former "comfort women" and aimed to detect the evidence of transgenerational transmission of trauma. Read More

J Psychopathol Behav Assess 2019 Mar 17;41(1):93-106. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA.

Co-occurring internalizing symptoms are common and important to assess in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One frequently used child self-report measure of internalizing symptoms is the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales (RCADS), yet the psychometric properties of the RCADS remain unexamined in children referred for ADHD specifically. The present study evaluated the RCADS in 117 children (ages 8-12; 66% male) evaluated for suspected ADHD at an ADHD specialty clinic (83% met criteria for ADHD). Read More

Nord J Psychiatry 2019 Apr;73(3):195-199

a School of Medicine, General Practice , University of Eastern Finland , Kuopio , Finland.

Background: Screening of depression has been recommended in primary care and Beck's 21-item Depression Inventory (BDI-21) is a commonly used tool for screening. Depression has been shown to be frequently accompanied by comorbidities.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze the characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychiatric comorbidity of primary care patients who have been screened for depression and referred to a depression nurse. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2019 Mar 28. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Cognitive Psychophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Purpose: To evaluate the function of the utriculus and sacculus and their central connections by ocular and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs and cVEMPs), and the function of high-frequency VOR of the semicircular canals by video head impulse test (vHIT) in patients with panic disorder (PD).

Methods: Forty-eight patients with PD (21 with agoraphobia) and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy controls took part in the investigation. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gains and latencies and peak-to-peak amplitudes of sound-induced VEMPs were measured and compared with those of healthy controls. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 Mar 6;251:130-135. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, United States; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, United States.

Background: Symptoms of depressed mood and anxiety have been associated with immune dysregulation and atopic disorders, however it is unclear whether this relationship spans other forms of psychopathology. The objective of this study was to use a large, population-based sample to examine the association between several common psychiatric conditions and two atopic disorders: seasonal allergies and asthma. This study also examined whether comorbidity between psychiatric disorders confounded the relationship between atopy and each psychiatric disorder. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019 Mar 28;3:CD010677. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Ludwig-Heilmeyer-Str. 2, Guenzburg, Germany, 89312.

Background: Panic disorder is characterised by recurrent unexpected panic attacks consisting of a wave of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes. Panic disorder is a common disorder, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 1% to 5% in the general population and a 7% to 10% prevalence in primary care settings. Its aetiology is not fully understood and is probably heterogeneous. Read More

J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2019 Mar 25. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common reaction to trauma in children and adolescents. While a significant minority of trauma-exposed youth go on to have persistent PTSD, many youths who initially have a severe traumatic stress response undergo natural recovery. The present study investigated the role of cognitive processes in shaping the early reactions of child and adolescents to traumatic stressors, and the transition to persistent clinically significant post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Read More

Ann Epidemiol 2019 Feb 25. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens.

Purpose: This study tested whether the severity of somatization, panic, generalized anxiety, and depression symptoms mediated relationships between physical activity and pain using structural equation modeling.

Methods: College women (n = 1036; mean = SD age of 19.7 ± 3. Read More

J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2019 Mar 21. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Background: The co-occurrence of internalizing disorders is a common form of psychiatric comorbidity, raising questions about the boundaries between these diagnostic categories. We employ network psychometrics in order to: (a) determine whether internalizing symptoms cluster in a manner reflecting DSM diagnostic criteria, (b) gauge how distinct these diagnostic clusters are and (c) examine whether this network structure changes from childhood to early and then late adolescence.

Method: Symptom-level data were obtained for service users in publicly funded mental health services in England between 2011 and 2015 (N = 37,162). Read More

Addiction 2019 Mar 19. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Background And Aims: Despite a wealth of literature, the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use remains unclear. We examined whether (a) child and adolescent anxiety is positively or negatively associated with later alcohol use and disorders and (b) study characteristics explain inconsistencies in findings.

Design And Setting: We conducted a systematic review of 51 prospective cohort studies from 11 countries. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Mar 16;16(6). Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Department of Computer Science and Technology, School of Computer Science, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132000, China.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has stated that over 1.1 billion people suffered from mental disorders globally in 2016, and the burden of mental disorders has continued to grow with impacts on social development. Despite the implementation of strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health WHO's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013⁻2020, the difficulty of diagnosis of mental disorders makes the objective "To provide comprehensive, integrated, and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings" hard to carry out. Read More

Psychopathology 2019 Mar 15:1-7. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Background/aims: Little research effort has so far been dedicated to the analysis of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of aetiologically differing subgroups of patients with panic disorder (PD). The current study aimed at a deeper understanding of the cortisol stress response in cannabis-induced PD (CIPD) patients.

Methods: Matched groups of 7 PD patients (mean age ± SD: 32. Read More

J Anxiety Disord 2019 Mar 4;64:16-23. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:

Patients with anxiety disorders have a lower heart rate variability (HRV) than healthy controls. Low HRV is associated with cardiovascular disease and dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The aim of the present study was to investigate if HRV in patients with agoraphobia with or without panic disorder can be influenced by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Read More

Ont Health Technol Assess Ser 2019 19;19(6):1-199. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Background: Major depression is defined as a period of depression lasting at least 2 weeks characterized by depressed mood, most of the day, nearly every day, and/or markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities. Anxiety disorders encompass a broad range of disorders in which people experience feelings of fear and excessive worry that interfere with normal day-to-day functioning.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of evidence-based psychotherapy used to treat major depression and anxiety disorders. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 May 5;250:204-209. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China. Electronic address:

Background: Hypervigilance to panic-related stimuli is believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of panic disorder. The current event-related potential study explored whether this hyperresponsivity occurred in the absence of focused attention.

Methods: Mismatch negativity (MMN) responses to panic-related vs. Read More

Psychotherapy (Chic) 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Psychology.

In panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), exploration and interpretation of avoided and conflicted emotions and fantasies surrounding anxiety are thought to promote panic-specific reflective functioning (PSRF), which drives panic disorder improvements. Patient emotional expression within a session may be a marker of engaged processing and experiencing of affectively charged material. Degree of in-session expressed emotion, indicating both verbal and nonverbal emotions, was examined across three early therapy sessions for prediction of subsequent outcomes. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 13;9(1):4314. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotional regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.

Anxiety sensitivity is associated with the onset of panic attacks, anxiety, and other common mental disorders. Anxiety sensitivity is usually seen as a relative stable trait. However, previous studies were inconclusive regarding the longitudinal stability of anxiety sensitivity and differed in study designs and outcomes. Read More

J Nerv Ment Dis 2019 Apr;207(4):284-290

Department of Psychiatry and of Neurology, Neurological and Behavioral Outcomes Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

Identifying relationships between depression severity and clinical factors may help with appropriate recognition and management of neuropsychiatric conditions in persons with epilepsy (PWE). Demographic characteristics, epilepsy variables, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities were examined from a baseline randomized controlled trial sample of 120 PWE. Among demographic characteristics, only inability to work was significantly associated with depression severity (p = 0. Read More

Psychiatry Res 2019 Mar 7:12288. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address:

Heightened responsivity to unpredictable, and perhaps predictable, threat characterizes some internalizing disorders and may be vulnerability factors for psychopathology as well. However, few studies have directly tested whether individual differences in unpredictable and/or predictable threat responding longitudinally predict symptoms of psychopathology and functional outcomes. Examining functioning is particularly important given that functioning is separable from symptoms of psychopathology. Read More

Depress Anxiety 2019 Mar 5. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Background: It is unknown whether social anxiety disorder (SAD) has a unique association with alcohol use disorder (AUD) over and beyond that of other anxiety disorders, how the associations develop over time, and whether the associations are likely to be causal.

Methods: Diagnoses of AUD, SAD, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and specific phobias were assessed twice using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview among 2,801 adult Norwegian twins. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analyses and multivariate biometric structural equation modeling. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2019 Mar 6. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

This chapter covers antidepressants that fall into the class of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitors. That is, they bind to the 5-HT and NE transporters with varying levels of potency and binding affinity ratios. Unlike the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most of these antidepressants have an ascending rather than a flat dose-response curve. Read More

J Head Trauma Rehabil 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis (Drs Malec and Hammond); Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado (Drs Ketchum and Whiteneck); The Ohio State University, Columbus (Drs Corrigan and Bogner); Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (Dr Dams-O'Connor); Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (Dr Hart); The University of Alabama at Birmingham (Dr Novack); and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Plano, Texas (Dr Dahdah).

Objective: To explore associations of specific physical and neuropsychiatric medical conditions to motor and cognitive functioning and life satisfaction over the first 10 years following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Setting: Telephone follow-up through 6 TBI Model System centers.

Participants: In total, 404 individuals or proxies with TBI enrolled in the TBI Model System longitudinal study participating in 10-year follow-up. Read More

Curr Psychiatry Rep 2019 Mar 2;21(3):16. Epub 2019 Mar 2.

Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

Purpose Of Review: Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders with a lifetime prevalence of over 20%. Clinically, anxiety is not thought of as a homogenous disorder, but is subclassified in generalized, panic, and phobic anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are moderately heritable. Read More

Brain Sci 2019 Mar 1;9(3). Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Menrva Research Group, Schools of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC V3T 0A3, Canada.

Wearable devices (WD) are starting to increasingly be used for interventions to promote well-being by reducing anxiety disorders (AD). Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is one of the most commonly used biosignals for assessing the cardiovascular system as it significantly reflects the activity of the autonomic nervous system during emotional changes. Little is known about the accuracy of using ECG features for detecting ADs. Read More

Psychother Res 2019 Mar 1:1-15. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

a The Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology , Adelphi University , Garden City , NY , USA.

Objective: To examine whether working alliance quality and use of techniques predict improvement in Panic-Specific Reflection Function (PSRF), and misinterpretation of bodily sensations in treatments for panic disorder.

Method: A sample of 161 patients received either CBT or PFPP (Panic-focused Psychodynamic therapy) within a larger RCT. Data were collected on patient-reported working alliance, misinterpretations, PSRF, observer-coded use of techniques, and interviewer-rated panic severity. Read More

Neuroreport 2019 May;30(7):468-472

Department of Cognitive Behavioral Physiology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine.

The relationship between auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) and the neural cognitive processes of fear has been suggested in both healthy participants and patients with fear-related mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder. The present study sought to confirm whether the MMN is affected by classical fear conditioning in healthy participants. MMN amplitude, N1 amplitude, and skin conductance level (SCL) in 20 healthy volunteers during a fear-conditioning paradigm consisting of three phases (habituation, fear acquisition, and fear extinction) were recorded. Read More

Clin Psychol Psychother 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Research Institute, Modum Bad Psychiatric Center, Vikersund, Norway.

This study aimed to investigate whether two theoretically derived moderators of treatment, degree of worry and avoidance at pretreatment, moderated anxiety from pretreatment to post-treatment in a randomized controlled trial comparing metacognitive therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. Personality problems, degree of co-morbidity, and demographic characteristics (work status and education) were also investigated. Seventy-four patients with a primary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, or panic disorder with and without agoraphobia were analysed using multilevel modelling. Read More

Psychiatry Investig 2019 Feb 21;16(2):167-171. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

With proper guidance, virtual reality (VR) can provide psychiatric therapeutic strategies within a simulated environment. The visuo-haptic-based multimodal feedback VR solution has been developed to improve anxiety symptoms through immersive experience and feedback. A proof-of-concept study was performed to investigate this VR solution. Read More

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2019 Jan 31;21(1). Epub 2019 Jan 31.

410 East Chestnut St , Ste 610, Louisville, KY 40202

Anxiety complaints are common among older people. Specific phobia is characterized by exaggerated fear to a specific object or situation. Fear of falling is one example and occurs in about 50% of older persons who have fallen recently. Read More