-
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2022Anxiety is often conceptualised as the prototypical disorder of interoception (one's perception of bodily states). Whilst theoretical models predict an association... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Anxiety is often conceptualised as the prototypical disorder of interoception (one's perception of bodily states). Whilst theoretical models predict an association between interoceptive accuracy and anxiety, empirical work has produced mixed results. This manuscript presents a pre-registered systematic review (https://osf.io/2h5xz) and meta-analysis of 55 studies, obtained via a Pubmed search on 9th November 2020, examining the relationship between state and trait anxiety and objectively measured cardiac interoceptive accuracy as assessed by heartbeat counting and discrimination tasks. Potential moderators of this relationship - the age, gender and clinical diagnoses of participants, the anxiety measures used and the study design - were also explored. Overall, we found no evidence for an association between cardiac interoceptive accuracy and anxiety, with none of the factors examined moderating this finding. We discuss the implications these findings have for future research, with a particular focus on the need for further investigation of the relationship between anxiety and other facets of interoception.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Awareness; Heart; Heart Rate; Humans; Interoception
PubMed: 35798125
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104754 -
European Neuropsychopharmacology : the... Nov 2023Azapirones have been proposed as anxiety and mood modulators. We assessed azapirones' viability in anxiety disorders via systematic review and random-effects... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Azapirones have been proposed as anxiety and mood modulators. We assessed azapirones' viability in anxiety disorders via systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis, inquiring PubMed/MEDLINE/CENTRAL/WHO-ICTRP/WebOfScience/VIP up-to 05/01/2023. We conducted sensitivity, and subgroup analyses assessing heterogeneity, publication bias, risk of bias, and confidence in the evidence within the GRADE framework. Symptom reduction (mean difference/MD), study-defined response (risk ratios/RRs), and acceptability were co-primary outcomes. Adverse events and withdrawal were secondary. Seventy studies were included. In generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), azapirones largely outperformed placebo (MD=-4.91, 95%C.I.[-5.91, -3.90], Hedges'g -1.37 [-1.02, -0.73]), k = 22, n = 2,567; RR=1.64, 95%C.I.[1.45, 1.86], k = 9, n = 1,346). While azapirones overlapped benzodiazepines in symptom reduction (MD=-0.12, 95%C.I.[-0.70, 0.45], k = 34, n = 3,160), they were slightly outperformed in response rate (RR=0.94, 95%C.I.[0.90, 0.99], k = 18, n = 2,423). Azapirones overlapped SRIs (MD=0.09, 95%C.I.[-0.49, 0.67], k = 8, n = 747; RR=0.97, 95%C.I.[0.89, 1.07], k = 7, n = 737). Confidence in estimates was high/moderate vs. placebo, moderate/low vs. benzodiazepine, very-low vs. SRIs. Azapirones failed to outperform the placebo in panic and social anxiety disorders. Azapirones overlapped placebo and SRIs in drop-out rates, while they showed higher treatment discontinuation rates than benzodiazepines (RR=1.33, 95%C.I.[1.16, 1.53], k = 23, n = 2,768). Azapirones caused less sedation/fatigue/drowsiness/weakness/cognitive issues than benzodiazepines, resembling placebo. They caused more nausea and dizziness than placebo, more headache and nausea than benzodiazepines, and less nausea and xerostomia than SRIs. Azapirones proved effective and relatively well-tolerated for GAD. They should be preferred over benzodiazepines, especially in the long-term, considering their lower sedation and addiction potential, representing a potential SRI alternative. Further research is warranted to prove efficacy in panic and social anxiety.
Topics: Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Benzodiazepines; Nausea
PubMed: 37544075
DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.07.008 -
The Australian and New Zealand Journal... Sep 2022This review aimed to measure the degree of placebo response in panic disorder. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
This review aimed to measure the degree of placebo response in panic disorder.
DATA SOURCES
We searched major databases up to 31 January 2021, for randomized pharmacotherapy trials published in English.
STUDY SELECTION
A total of 43 studies met inclusion criteria to be in the analysis (with 174 separate outcome measurements).
DATA EXTRACTION
Changes in outcome measures from baseline in the placebo group were used to estimate modified Cohen's effect size.
RESULTS
A total of 43 trials (2392 subjects, 174 outcomes using 27 rating scales) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall placebo effect size was 0.57 (95% confidence interval = [0.50, 0.64]), heterogeneity (: 96.3%). Higher placebo effect size was observed among clinician-rated scales compared to patient reports (0.75 vs 0.35) and among general symptom and anxiety scales compared to panic symptoms and depression scales (0.92 and 0.64 vs 0.56 and 0.54, respectively). There was an upward trend in effect size over the publication period ( = 0.02, = 0.002) that was only significant among clinician-rated scales ( = 0.02, = 0.011). There was no significant publication bias, Egger's test ( = 0.08).
CONCLUSION
We observed a substantial placebo effect size in panic disorder. This effect was more prominent for some aspects of panic disorder psychopathology than for others and was correlated with the source of the assessment and publication year. This finding has implications both for research design, to address the heterogeneity and diversity in placebo responses, and for clinical practice to ensure optimal quality of care.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER
PROSPERO, CRD42019125979.
Topics: Humans; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Panic Disorder; Placebo Effect; Publication Bias
PubMed: 34996304
DOI: 10.1177/00048674211068793 -
Clinical Psychology Review Dec 2015Despite the considerable efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia, a substantial minority of patients fail to improve for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Despite the considerable efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia, a substantial minority of patients fail to improve for reasons that are poorly understood.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify consistent predictors and moderators of improvement in CBT for PD and agoraphobia.
DATA SOURCES
A systematic review and meta-analysis of articles was conducted using PsycInfo and PubMed. Search terms included panic, agoraphobi*, cognitive behavio*, CBT, cognitive therapy, behavio* therapy, CT, BT, exposure, and cognitive restructuring.
STUDY SELECTION
Studies were limited to those employing semi-structured diagnostic interviews and examining change on panic- or agoraphobia-specific measures.
DATA EXTRACTION
The first author extracted data on study characteristics, prediction analyses, effect sizes, and indicators of study quality. Interrater reliability was confirmed.
SYNTHESIS
52 papers met inclusion criteria. Agoraphobic avoidance was the most consistent predictor of decreased improvement, followed by low expectancy for change, high levels of functional impairment, and Cluster C personality pathology. Other variables were consistently unrelated to improvement in CBT, understudied, or inconsistently related to improvement.
LIMITATIONS
Many studies were underpowered and failed to report effect sizes. Tests of moderation were rare.
CONCLUSIONS
Apart from agoraphobic avoidance, few variables consistently predict improvement in CBT for PD and/or agoraphobia across studies.
Topics: Agoraphobia; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Humans; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Panic Disorder
PubMed: 26443228
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.09.004 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jan 2016In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in anxiety disorders (AnxD) in the perinatal period. Although AnxD are diagnosed in 4-39% of pregnant women... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in anxiety disorders (AnxD) in the perinatal period. Although AnxD are diagnosed in 4-39% of pregnant women and in up to 16% of women after delivery, evidence on their clinical management is limited.
METHODS
A systematic review was conducted on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of AnxD in the perinatal period. Relevant papers published from January 1st 2015 were identified searching the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library.
RESULTS
18 articles met inclusion criteria. Selected studies supported the use of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (PD) and specific phobia both in pregnancy and postpartum. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) led to significant OCD and PD improvement both in pregnancy and postpartum with no side effects for the babies. In the largest clinical sample to date, 65% of postpartum patients who entered the open-label trial of fluvoxamine (up to 300mg/day) experienced a 30% or greater decrease in the total score of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). During pregnancy, SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) led to remission of panic symptoms and healthy outcomes for the babies.
LIMITATIONS
Study design, mostly case reports, and enrolment of subjects mainly from outpatient specialty units might have limited community-wide generalisability.
CONCLUSIONS
Keeping in mind the scantiness and heterogeneity of the available literature, the best interpretation of the available evidence appears to be that CBT should be the first treatment offered to pregnant and breastfeeding women with AnxD. However SSRIs can represent a first line treatment strategy, and not exclusively in cases where AnxD is refractory to CBT.
Topics: Anti-Anxiety Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Anxiety Disorders; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Female; Humans; Postnatal Care; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care
PubMed: 26571104
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.11.004 -
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Aug 2023Genetic studies of bipolar disorder (BD) have shown varied results, which is in part because of the heterogeneity of the disorder. Identifying clinical phenotypes of BD... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Genetic studies of bipolar disorder (BD) have shown varied results, which is in part because of the heterogeneity of the disorder. Identifying clinical phenotypes of BD could reduce variability and benefit research. Since BD has a robust genetic component, studies can investigate clinical traits that cluster in families to identify phenotypes with a probable genetic basis.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of the current literature on familial clinical traits of BD. Text screening and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers, and random effects meta-analysis was used.
RESULTS
Of 1117 unique records, 16 studies met inclusion criteria. These studies indicated 14 potentially familial traits of BD: age of onset (OR: 4.50; 95% CI: [3.25, 6.22]), bipolar type (OR: 2.05 [1.50, 2.79]), lithium response (OR: 3.71 [1.28, 10.82]), polarity at onset (OR: 1.17 [1.03, 1.34]), psychotic features (OR: 2.20 [1.51, 3.20]), mood-incongruent psychosis (OR: 2.52 [1.66, 3.83]), puerperal psychosis (OR: 6.54 [2.55, 16.77]), rapid cycling (OR: 4.95 [0.96, 25.40]), suicide attempt (OR: 1.04 [0.65, 1.67]), alcoholism (OR: 1.53 [1.09, 2.16]), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OR: 3.10 [1.31; 7.09]), panic disorder (OR: 2.69 [1.12; 6.48]), social anxiety disorder (OR: 1.00 [0.39, 2.55]), and specific phobia (OR: 1.94 [0.95; 3.96]). For most traits, tests of heterogeneity were significant and publication bias was likely.
CONCLUSION
The results of our review and meta-analysis highlight the lack of studies investigating familial clinical traits of BD, despite the need to address heterogeneity. The large degree of variability between studies must be reduced for future research.
Topics: Humans; Bipolar Disorder; Phenotype; Psychotic Disorders; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Panic Disorder
PubMed: 37190775
DOI: 10.1111/acps.13569 -
Neurosurgery Feb 2023Awake craniotomy (AC) enables real-time monitoring of cortical and subcortical functions when lesions are in eloquent brain areas. AC patients are exposed to various...
BACKGROUND
Awake craniotomy (AC) enables real-time monitoring of cortical and subcortical functions when lesions are in eloquent brain areas. AC patients are exposed to various preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative stressors, which might affect their mental health.
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a systematic review to better understand stress, anxiety, and depression in AC patients.
METHODS
PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from January 1, 2000, to April 20, 2022, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline.
RESULTS
Four hundred forty-seven records were identified that fit our inclusion and exclusion criteria for screening. Overall, 24 articles consisting of 1450 patients from 13 countries were included. Sixteen studies (66.7%) were prospective, whereas 8 articles (33.3%) were retrospective. Studies evaluated stress, anxiety, and depression during different phases of AC. Twenty-two studies (91.7%) were conducted on adults, and 2 studies were on pediatrics (8.3 %). Glioma was the most common AC treatment with 615 patients (42.4%). Awake-awake-awake and asleep-awake-asleep were the most common protocols, each used in 4 studies, respectively (16.7%). Anxiety was the most common psychological outcome evaluated in 19 studies (79.2%). The visual analog scale and self-developed questionnaire by the authors (each n = 5, 20.8%) were the most frequently tools used. Twenty-three studies (95.8%) concluded that AC does not increase stress, anxiety, and/or depression in AC patients. One study (4.2%) identified younger age associated with panic attack.
CONCLUSION
In experienced hands, AC does not cause an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression; however, the psychiatric impact of AC should not be underestimated.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Child; Brain Neoplasms; Depression; Wakefulness; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Craniotomy; Anxiety
PubMed: 36580643
DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002224 -
CNS & Neurological Disorders Drug... 2015Researchers have been using the electroencephalogram to better understand the cognitive and neurobiological bases of panic disorder (PD) through the P300 component; this... (Review)
Review
Researchers have been using the electroencephalogram to better understand the cognitive and neurobiological bases of panic disorder (PD) through the P300 component; this is an electric potential of the cerebral cortex that is generated in response to external sensorial stimuli and which involves more complex neurophysiological processes related to stimulus interpretation; it is then used to investigate possible alterations in the information processing and attention of patients suffering from this disorder. Aiming to verify the results found by experimental articles already published about P300 in PD patients and the information processing differences between PD patients and healthy controls, a systematic review of the PubMed and Institute for Scientific Information databases was conducted. The selection criterion involved those articles, written in English, which referred to an experimental research that focused on the P300 component, with a sample composed of PD (or panic attacks) patients. Seven articles were found that fit the selected criteria. Most of the articles show that these patients suffer from: impaired information processing and attention, an inability to automatically respond to new stimuli, and impaired interpretation of internal and external stimuli related to the disorder. Such impairment may be related to an unspecified dysfunction in the limbic-reticular structures, which would affect: active, focused and short-term attention, working and short-term memory, recognition and decision making. Some limitations were highlighted, such as the use of small samples and possible comorbidity with other disorders, which did not allow clearer results. This research can contribute to understand the neurobiological differences of PD patients and develop treatments based on such evidence.
Topics: Attention; Brain; Electroencephalography; Event-Related Potentials, P300; Humans; Memory; Panic Disorder
PubMed: 25106626
DOI: 10.2174/1871527314666150303164539 -
World Psychiatry : Official Journal of... Jun 2024Psychotherapies are first-line treatments for most mental disorders, but their absolute outcomes (i.e., response and remission rates) are not well studied, despite the...
Psychotherapies are first-line treatments for most mental disorders, but their absolute outcomes (i.e., response and remission rates) are not well studied, despite the relevance of such information for health care users, providers and policy makers. We aimed to examine absolute and relative outcomes of psychotherapies across eight mental disorders: major depressive disorder (MDD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD). We used a series of living systematic reviews included in the Metapsy initiative (www.metapsy.org), with a common strategy for literature search, inclusion of studies and extraction of data, and a common format for the analyses. Literature search was conducted in major bibliographical databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials) up to January 1, 2023. We included randomized controlled trials comparing psychotherapies for any of the eight mental disorders, established by a diagnostic interview, with a control group (waitlist, care-as-usual, or pill placebo). We conducted random-effects model pairwise meta-analyses. The main outcome was the absolute rate of response (at least 50% symptom reduction between baseline and post-test) in the treatment and control conditions. Secondary outcomes included the relative risk (RR) of response, and the number needed to treat (NNT). Random-effects meta-analyses of the included 441 trials (33,881 patients) indicated modest response rates for psychotherapies: 0.42 (95% CI: 0.39-0.45) for MDD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.33-0.43) for PTSD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.30-0.47) for OCD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.33-0.43) for panic disorder; 0.36 (95% CI: 0.30-0.42) for GAD; 0.32 (95% CI: 0.29-0.37) for social anxiety disorder; 0.32 (95% CI: 0.23-0.42) for specific phobia; and 0.24 (95% CI: 0.15-0.36) for BPD. Most sensitivity analyses broadly supported these findings. The RRs were significant for all disorders, except BPD. Our conclusion is that most psychotherapies for the eight mental disorders are effective compared with control conditions, but absolute response rates are modest. More effective treatments and interventions for those not responding to a first-line treatment are needed.
PubMed: 38727072
DOI: 10.1002/wps.21203 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Jan 2017Indigenous populations are considered at higher risk of psychiatric disorder but many studies do not include direct comparisons with similar non-Indigenous controls. We... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Indigenous populations are considered at higher risk of psychiatric disorder but many studies do not include direct comparisons with similar non-Indigenous controls. We undertook a meta-analysis of studies that compared the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in Indigenous populations in the Americas with those of non-Indigenous groups with similar socio-demographic features (Registration number: CRD42015025854). A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and article bibliographies was performed. We included comparisons of lifetime rates and prevalence of up to 12 months. We found 19 studies (n = 250, 959) from Latin America, Canada and the US. There were no differences between Indigenous and similar non-Indigenous groups in the 12-month prevalence of depressive, generalised anxiety and panic disorders. However, Indigenous people were at greater risk of PTSD. For lifetime prevalence, rates of generalised anxiety, panic and all the depressive disorders were significantly lower in Indigenous participants, whilst PTSD (on adjusted analyses) and social phobia were significantly higher. Results were similar for sub-analyses of Latin America, Canada and the US, and sensitivity analyses by study quality or setting (e.g. health, community etc.). Risk factors for psychiatric illness may therefore be a complex interaction of biological, educational, economic and socio-cultural factors that may vary between disorders. Accordingly, interventions should reflect that the association between disadvantage and psychiatric illness is rarely due to one factor. However, it is also possible that assessment tools don't accurately measure psychiatric symptoms in Indigenous populations and that further cross-cultural validation of diagnostic instruments may be needed too.
Topics: American Indian or Alaska Native; Americas; Anxiety Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Humans; Prevalence
PubMed: 27741502
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.09.032