Cerebral blood flow has been well studied in patients with panic disorder, but only few studies analyzed the mechanisms underlying the onset of a panic attack. The aim of the present study was to monitor the cerebral hemodynamics modifications during a panic attack. Materials and Methods. 10 panic disorder patients with recent onset, fully drug na¨ıve, were compared to 13 patients with panic disorder with a previous history of treatment and to 14 controls. A continuous bilateral monitoring of mean flow velocities in right and left middle cerebral arteries was performed by transcranial Doppler. Clomipramine was chosen as challenge. Results. Eight out of 10 patients drug na¨ıve and 6 control subjects out of 13 had a full blown panic attack during the test,whereas none of the patients with a history of treatment panicked. The occurrence of a panic attack was accompanied by a rapid decrease of flow velocities in both right and left middle cerebral arteries. Discussion.The bilateral acute decrease of mean flow velocity during a panic attack suggests the vasoconstriction of the microcirculation of deep brain structures perfused by middle cerebral arteries and involved in the so-called “fear circuitry,” thus suggesting that cerebral homeostatic dysfunctions seem to have a key role in the onset of a panic attack.
Brain Circulation during Panic Attack: A Transcranial Doppler Study with Clomipramine Challenge / Francesco Rotella; Marinella Marinoni; Francesca Lejeune; Fabiana Alari; Daniela Depinesi; Fiammetta Cosci; Carlo Faravelli. - In: PSYCHIATRY JOURNAL. - ISSN 2314-4335. - ELETTRONICO. - 2014:(2014), pp. 1-6. [10.1155/2014/296862]
Brain Circulation during Panic Attack: A Transcranial Doppler Study with Clomipramine Challenge
ROTELLA, FRANCESCO;MARINONI, MARINELLA;COSCI, FIAMMETTA;FARAVELLI, CARLO
2014
Abstract
Cerebral blood flow has been well studied in patients with panic disorder, but only few studies analyzed the mechanisms underlying the onset of a panic attack. The aim of the present study was to monitor the cerebral hemodynamics modifications during a panic attack. Materials and Methods. 10 panic disorder patients with recent onset, fully drug na¨ıve, were compared to 13 patients with panic disorder with a previous history of treatment and to 14 controls. A continuous bilateral monitoring of mean flow velocities in right and left middle cerebral arteries was performed by transcranial Doppler. Clomipramine was chosen as challenge. Results. Eight out of 10 patients drug na¨ıve and 6 control subjects out of 13 had a full blown panic attack during the test,whereas none of the patients with a history of treatment panicked. The occurrence of a panic attack was accompanied by a rapid decrease of flow velocities in both right and left middle cerebral arteries. Discussion.The bilateral acute decrease of mean flow velocity during a panic attack suggests the vasoconstriction of the microcirculation of deep brain structures perfused by middle cerebral arteries and involved in the so-called “fear circuitry,” thus suggesting that cerebral homeostatic dysfunctions seem to have a key role in the onset of a panic attack.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Rotella 2014_brain circulation.pdf
accesso aperto
Tipologia:
Pdf editoriale (Version of record)
Licenza:
Creative commons
Dimensione
2.27 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
2.27 MB | Adobe PDF |
I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.