[The sensorimotor reactivity of rats with an initially high anxiety-phobia level]

[Article in Russian]

Krupina NA, Orlova IN, Kryzhanovskii GN, Solov'ev AD.

Sensorimotor response was measured by acoustic startle reflex in Wistar male rats with innate high and low levels of anxiety. The levels of anxiety were determined using a complex multiparameter method for evaluating anxiety-phobic states in rats by a ranged scale. Amplitude and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response were increased, but latency of the startle reflex was decreased in rats with innate high level of anxiety as compared with those with innate low level. In rats with innate high level of anxiety injection of subconvulsive doses of pentylenetetrazol (10 and 15 mg/kg i.p.) resulted in an increase of the amplitude of the acoustic startle response and, additionally (under the dose 10 mg/kg) in a decrease of its latency. Facilitation of acoustic startle in rats with innate high level of anxiety is suggested to reflect either a deficit of inhibitory, or intensification of excitatory modulating influences on signal transmission in nerve circuit of acoustic startle. Studies of the sensorimotor response by acoustic startle in rats with innate high level of anxiety are believed to be useful for elucidating basic mechanisms of anxiety and phobia.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7879433&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Symptoms of anxiety and risk of coronary heart disease. The Normative Aging Study.

Kawachi I, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Weiss ST.

Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.

BACKGROUND--Several studies have suggested an increased risk of fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) among patients with panic disorder, phobic anxiety, and other anxiety disorders. We prospectively examined this association in the Normative Aging Study. METHODS AND RESULTS--An anxiety symptoms scale was constructed out of five items from the Cornell Medical Index, which was administered to the cohort at baseline. During 32 years of follow-up, we observed 402 cases of incident coronary heart disease (137 cases of nonfatal myocardial infarction, 134 cases of angina pectoris, and 131 cases of fatal CHD--made up of 26 cases of sudden cardiac death and 105 cases of nonsudden death). A nested case-control design (involving 1869 control subjects who remained free of diagnosed CHD) was used to assess the association between anxiety and risk of CHD. Compared with men reporting no symptoms of anxiety, men reporting two or more anxiety symptoms had elevated risks of fatal CHD (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27 to 8.09), and sudden death (age-adjusted OR = 5.73, 95% CI: 1.26 to 26.1). The multivariate OR after adjusting for a range of potential confounding variables was 1.94 (95% CI: 0.70-5.41) for fatal CHD and 4.46 (95% CI: 0.92-21.6) for sudden death. No excess risks were found for nonfatal myocardial infarction or angina. CONCLUSIONS--These data suggest an association between anxiety and fatal coronary heart disease, in particular, sudden cardiac death.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7955177&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Comorbidity of anxiety disorders in adolescents.

Essau CA.

Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat Munster, Psychologisches Institut I, Munster, Germany. essau uni-muenster.de

We examined the comorbidity of anxiety disorders and their clinical consequences in adolescents. The 1,035 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years old, were randomly selected from 36 schools in the province of Bremen, Germany. Anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders were coded based on DSM-IV criteria using the computerized Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The comorbidity rate within the anxiety disorders was relatively low (14.1%). However, the comorbidity of anxiety disorders with other psychiatric disorders was high. Approximately half (51%) of the anxious adolescents had other psychiatric disorders. The most common comorbid pattern was that of anxiety and depressive disorders. Among those with both anxiety and depressive disorders, a majority of them (72%) had anxiety before that of depression. Anxious adolescents with comorbid disorders were significantly more psychologically distressed, as assessed using the SCL-90-R, and used more mental health services than adolescents with anxiety disorders only. The effect of comorbidity on mental health services utilization was stronger in males than females. The findings suggest the need to design intervention strategies to deal with cases with multiple disorders. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12900947&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Attachment in individuals with social anxiety disorder: the relationship among adult attachment styles, social anxiety, and depression.

Eng W, Heimberg RG, Hart TA, Schneier FR, Liebowitz MR.

Adult Anxiety Clinic, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122-6085, USA.

Despite their apparent implications for social functioning, adult attachment styles have never been specifically explored among persons with social anxiety disorder. In the current study, a cluster analysis of the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (N. L. Collins, 1996) revealed that 118 patients with social anxiety were best represented by anxious and secure attachment style clusters. Members of the anxious attachment cluster exhibited more severe social anxiety and avoidance, greater depression, greater impairment, and lower life satisfaction than members of the secure attachment cluster. This pattern was replicated in a separate sample of 56 patients and compared with the pattern found in 36 control participants. Social anxiety mediated the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Findings are discussed in the context of their relevance to the etiology, maintenance, and cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety disorder.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12901398&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Dental anxiety, optimism-pessimism, and dental experience from childhood to adolescence.

Neverlien PO.

94 adolescents, 58% of the original study group, participated in a 5-yr follow-up questionnaire study to assess the predictive power of self-reported dental anxiety, optimism-pessimism dimension, and previous dental experience on dental anxiety level over the 5-yr period. The mean values on Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Dental Anxiety Question (DAQ) had increased for the girls and remained stable for the boys. The predictive power of DAS and DAQ on anxiety levels as measured by these same scales 5 yr later was weak to moderate, although statistically significant. The optimism-pessimism dimension and dental treatment experiences did not have any effect on dental anxiety changes from childhood to adolescence. DAS had an independent, weak, but statistically significant negative effect on optimistic disposition over the period. The internal reliability of DAS was high and highly similar results using DAS and DAQ were found. Except for significantly more dental experience in the drop-out group (n = 69) than in the current study group in the first study, there were no statistically significant differences in mean scores between the groups with respect to self-reported and clinical dental anxiety, and optimism. Methodological complications are discussed.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7924242&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




State anxiety reduction and exercise: does hemispheric activation reflect such changes?

Petruzzello SJ, Landers DM.

Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 61801.

Acute bouts of aerobic exercise have been consistently associated with significant reductions in anxiety, but explanations for this effect remain elusive. The cerebral lateralization hypothesis predicts that anxiety reductions would be caused by a postexercise decrease in anterior right, relative to left, hemisphere activation. A sample of 19 right-handed males ran at 75% of their VO2max for 30 min on a treadmill. Electroencephalogram (EEG; F3, F4, T3, T4) and state anxiety were collected before and following exercise. Compared with preexercise, anxiety was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced at 10, 20, and 30 min postexercise. Preexercise EEG alpha asymmetry was significantly related to trait anxiety and also predicted a significant amount of variance (30%; P = 0.008) in postexercise anxiety reduction. From pre- to postexercise, the relative activation of the left frontal area increased with respect to the homologous right frontal site. Within-subject correlations for the change in anxiety with corresponding EEG changes were small but in line with theoretical predictions. It is concluded that the cerebral lateralization hypothesis remains tenable for explaining anxiety reductions associated with exercise.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7968420&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Anxiety and self-care following myocardial infarction.

Rose SK, Conn VS, Rodeman BJ.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between trait and state anxiety experienced during hospitalization for an acute myocardial infarction and self-care behaviors several weeks after the infarction. Sixty-two male (n = 39) and female (n = 23) subjects were interviewed during their hospital stay and again 3 months after discharge. State and trait anxiety were measured by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Test. Medication, exercise, smoking, diet, and stress management self-care were measured by Miller's Health Behavior Scale. The findings revealed low correlations between trait anxiety and exercise performance, medication administration, stress management, and smoking cessation behavior, and between state anxiety and smoking behavior. The findings were interpreted in light of the conceptual differences between state and trait anxiety, and suggest that mental health interventions during hospitalization should emphasize teaching patients to manage their own anxiety instead of directly intervening to reduce current levels of anxiety among this population.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8056572&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




Dental anxiety of parents in an Israeli kibbutz population.

Peretz B, Zadik D.

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Hadassah Faculty of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the levels of dental anxiety in both parents of children in a kibbutz in Israel. Sixty pairs of parents between 22 and 56 years of age with children aged 1-14 years comprised the study population. The parents were divided into three age groups: 22-34 years, 35-44 years, and 45-56 years. Dental anxiety was assessed by using Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale and Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey. The mothers showed significantly higher levels of dental anxiety than the fathers. Within the families dental anxiety of husbands and wives were poorly correlated. Mothers in the 35-44-year age group displayed the highest scores of dental anxiety. Among the fathers, dental anxiety was highest in the youngest age group (22-34 years). The mean Corah score for the combined group was much higher than those reported for patients in private clinics in Sweden and in the USA. The results suggest that mothers in their mid-thirties to mid-forties merit special support with regard to the dental situation.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7748856&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine




[Inpatient psychotherapy of anxiety disorders--a comparison of therapeutic effectiveness in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia and panic disorder]

[Article in German]

Bassler M, Hoffmann SO.

Klinik fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitat Mainz.

We investigated the effect of psychoanalytically oriented inpatient psychotherapy on three essential forms of anxiety disorders (classified according ICD-10): 1. generalized anxiety disorder (n = 23), agoraphobia (n = 38) and panic disorder (n = 24). Examinations with psychometric test instruments were performed at beginning of inpatient psychotherapy, at dismissal and 6 weeks after dismissal. At the end of inpatient psychotherapy we judged four clinically relevant criteria of therapy success: at the one side the therapist's judgement of symptomatic and structural improvement of the patients, at the other side the patients' judgement of anxiety and depression diminuation. The results demonstrate that summing up these four success criteria 1.) 40.0% of the patients with anxiety disorders improved, 21.2% failed; 2.) 61.4% of the patients with agoraphobia improved, 6.3% failed and 3.) 52.5% of the patients with panic disorder improved, 6.5% failed. An additional analysis of these results showed that the patients with generalized anxiety disorder were significantly (p < 0.01) more disturbed (according clinical assessment) compared to the other two diagnostic groups. About 60% of these patients exhibited increased anxiety symptoms during the course of inpatients psychotherapy, nevertheless relative to the other success criteria these patients achieved satisfactory outcome results. In the paper the consequences of these findings are discussed especially for inpatient psychotherapy of severely disturbed patients with anxiety disorders.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7938367&dopt=Abstract anxiety medicine