title: Impact of Panic on Psychophysiological and Neural Reactivity to Unpredictable Threat in Depression and Anxiety.
abstract: Exaggerated anxious responding to unpredictable threat (U-threat) is a core feature of panic disorder (PD). However, it is unknown whether this abnormality is specific to the diagnosis of PD or would manifest along a continuum of panic symptomatology (PS). Additionally, little is known about the neural processes underlying this abnormality among those high in PS. Finally, no studies have tested whether startle potentiation and limbic neural reactivity - commonly used indices of U-threat responsivity - are associated and therefore reflect common abnormalities. These questions were investigated in 42 adults with a range of PS. U-threat responding was measured twice during threat-of-shock - once with startle and once with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). As hypothesized, PS positively predicted startle potentiation and dACC reactivity to U-threat. Startle potentiation and dACC activation to U-threat were positively associated. These results suggest a biobehavioral profile of aberrant responding to U-threat associated with PS.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608.
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gorka
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607; University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608.
authors.forename: Stewart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shankman
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607; University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608; University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, 808 S. Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Mental Health Service Line, 820 S. Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612.
authors.forename: K Luan
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Phan
keywords: anterior cingulate cortex; anticipatory anxiety; panic disorder; unpredictable threat