title: The interplay between physical activity and anxiety sensitivity in fearful responding to carbon dioxide challenge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical activity may confer protective effects in the development of anxiety and its disorders. These effects may be particularly strong among individuals who have elevated levels of anxiety sensitivity (AS; i.e., the fear of somatic arousal), an established cognitive-based risk factor for anxiety and its disorders. The present study performed a laboratory test of the interplay between physical activity and AS.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were adults free of Axis I psychopathology (n = 145) who completed measures of physical activity and AS before undergoing a recurrent 20% carbon dioxide-enriched air (CO(2)) challenge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistent with the hypothesis, physical activity was significantly related to CO(2) challenge reactivity among persons with elevated levels of AS, at high levels of physical activity (p < .001) but not at low levels of physical activity (p = .90). Also consistent with hypothesis, irrespective of the level of physical activity, physical activity did not relate significantly to CO(2) challenge reactivity among persons with normative levels of AS (p = .28).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide novel empirical insight into the role that physical activity may play in terms of resiliency for the development of anxiety disorders. Specifically, the protective effects of physical activity may only be evident at higher doses and among persons who are at increased risk of developing anxiety disorders because they have elevated AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dedman College, PO Box 750442, Dallas, TX 75275, USA. jsmits@smu.edu
authors.forename: Jasper A J
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: Candyce D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tart
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenfield
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zvolensky
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide