Epinephrine infusions in patients with social phobia.
To assess the role of peripheral epinephrine in social anxiety, the authors infused 11 patients meeting DSM-III criteria for social phobia with intravenous epinephrine over 60 minutes. Although the mean plasma epinephrine level increased from 113 to 928 pg/ml, only one of the 11 patients experienced observable anxiety; this finding suggests that an increase in plasma epinephrine level alone is inadequate to cause social anxiety. Of the variables measured, only the average minute volume correlated with self-rated anxiety. Ventilatory indexes might be better correlates of subjective anxiety than other physiological variables.
Papp
L A
LA
Biological Studies Unit, New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032.
Gorman
J M
JM
Liebowitz
M R
MR
Fyer
A J
AJ
Cohen
B
B
Klein
D F
DF
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D010200:Panic / Q000187:drug effects; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*
D004837:Epinephrine