Panic disorder serves as a clinical model for testing whether mental stress can lead to cardiovascular disease. In cardiological management, panic disorder readily provides case material for recurrent emergency room attendances with angina and electrocardiogram ischemia, triggered arrhythmias and documented artery spasm, in some cases with coronary spasm being complicated by coronary thrombosis.
Research at The Baker Heart Research Institute in Melbourne has shown that during panic attacks there are large sympathetic nerve fibre bursts, recorded with sympathetic nerve recording (microneurography), and increases in noradrenaline release from sympathetic nerves in the heart. There appear to be also accompanying surges of adrenal medullary epinephrine secretion.
The research team, headed by Professor of Cardiology, Dr. Murray Esler, has concluded that potential neural mechanisms of cardiologic risk are sympathetic activation during panic attacks, adrenaline release as a co-transmitter in the cardic sympathetic nerves, impaired noradrenaline neuronal reuptake and a newly discovered altered pattern of sympathetic single nerve firing.
Psychological measures of Anxiety Sensitivity are significantly associated with this phenomenon in panic disorder. These findings have now formed the basis for investigations examining the possibility of an epigenetic predisposition to panic disorder. These finding have now formed the basis for investigations examining the possibility of an epigenetic predisposition to panic disorder.
© Copyright 2007 Insight Journal Online Magazine.
Join the Discussion:
Discuss and ask questions in our community forums
Recommended Links:
Sign up for our FREE Health and Wellness Newsletter
View More Articles In
Category: Anxiety News
Digg
Stumble It!
del.icio.us
Add to Any
