title: Imagined risk of suffocation as a trigger for hyperventilation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although hyperventilation has been hypothesized to play a role in many pathologies, its critical triggers remain poorly understood. The present experiment aimed to test whether stronger hyperventilation responses occur in response to suggested risk of suffocation compared with other fearful situations in high- and low-trait anxious women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fractional end-tidal CO2-concentration (FetCO2), respiratory frequency, and inspiratory volume were measured nonintrusively in high- (n = 24) and low- (n = 24) trait anxious women during imagery of 3 fear, 1 tension, 1 depressive, and 3 relaxation scripts. The fear scripts were equal in ratings of unpleasantness and arousal but differed regarding the inclusion of suggested risk of suffocation and entrapment. After each imagery trial, participants rated the emotional dimensions of pleasantness, arousal, and dominance and the vividness of their imagery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Decreases in FetCO2 occurred in all fear scripts. High-trait anxious women showed a stronger reduction in FetCO2 compared with low-trait anxious women during the fear script suggesting risk of suffocation but not during the other fear scripts. This effect was unrelated to any of the self-reported fear ratings. Self-reported fear of entrapment was associated with an overall lower FetCO2 but not with enhanced reactivity to imagined entrapment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-trait anxiety is associated with stronger respiratory responsivity to imagined risk of suffocation and may constitute a specific vulnerability factor for the development of panic disorder and claustrophobia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Vandiest@psy.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Diest
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Peuter
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devriese
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wellens
authors.forename: Karel P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Van de Woestijne
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Van den Bergh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013404:Suggestion; D013990:Tidal Volume / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide