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Translational Psychiatry Dec 2023Anxiety disorders (ADs) are the most common form of mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Although physiological studies have revealed the...
Anxiety disorders (ADs) are the most common form of mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Although physiological studies have revealed the neural circuits related to AD symptoms, how AD-associated genes are spatiotemporally expressed in the human brain still remains unclear. In this study, we integrated genome-wide association studies of four human AD subtypes-generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder-with spatial gene expression patterns. Our investigation uncovered a novel division among AD-associated genes, marked by significant and distinct expression enrichments in the cerebral nuclei, limbic, and midbrain regions. Each gene cluster was associated with specific anxiety-related behaviors, signaling pathways, region-specific gene networks, and cell types. Notably, we observed a significant negative correlation in the temporal expression patterns of these gene clusters during various developmental stages. Moreover, the specific brain regions enriched in each gene group aligned with neural circuits previously associated with negative decision-making and anxious temperament. These results suggest that the two distinct gene clusters may underlie separate neural systems involved in anxiety. As a result, our findings bridge the gap between genes and neural circuitry, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying AD-associated behaviors.
Topics: Humans; Genome-Wide Association Study; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Panic Disorder
PubMed: 38092764
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02693-y -
JMA Journal Oct 2023People devoid of COVID-19 may exhibit mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders, depression, panic attack, insomnia, emotional disorder, and suicidal actions.... (Review)
Review
People devoid of COVID-19 may exhibit mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders, depression, panic attack, insomnia, emotional disorder, and suicidal actions. Healthcare workers (HCWs) may also exhibit these problems. Physicians should be careful an "at-risk" population. Physicians revealed higher levels of resilience than the popular workers. Humans with stronger resilience have lower feeling of anxiety and depression. We investigated the risk to physicians from an infected environment to infected patients during the pandemic. The social and psychological support of all HCWs, particularly physicians, is significant in the fight against this pandemic. Physicians working with patients with COVID-19 should set enough time to relax, sleep, and spend time with family. Resilience in physicians facing COVID-19 can induce post-traumatic growth in the future.
PubMed: 37941699
DOI: 10.31662/jmaj.2022-0192 -
Annals of Palliative Medicine Sep 2023Episodic breathlessness is often accompanied by panic. A vicious cycle of breathlessness-panic-breathlessness leads to emergencies with severe breathlessness and/or fear...
BACKGROUND
Episodic breathlessness is often accompanied by panic. A vicious cycle of breathlessness-panic-breathlessness leads to emergencies with severe breathlessness and/or fear of dying. However, the interaction between episodic breathlessness and panic is poorly understood. Thus, the aim is a better understanding of the interaction between panic and episodic breathlessness to develop appropriate support for patients suffering from this symptom.
METHODS
Patients suffering from episodic breathlessness due to life-limiting diseases answered questions on the characteristics of episodic breathlessness and panic-spectrum psychopathology, including underlying mechanisms. Using the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnoses (SCID), patients were screened for panic disorder. An open-ended question captured the patients' descriptions of panic during breathlessness episodes.
RESULTS
Forty-six patients [52% women, mean age =66 years; standard deviation (SD) 7.3 years] provided information: 61% suffered from panic during the entire breathlessness episode, 39% experienced panic in every episode, and 25% were diagnosed with panic disorder. Exploratory data analysis was conducted. Patients with high scores in breathlessness catastrophizing thoughts experienced more panic in a breathlessness episode (P<0.001) and considered themselves more panic than low-scorers (P=0.024). There was a significant indirect effect of episodic breathlessness intensity on the panic experienced in an episode, and this effect was mediated by catastrophizing thoughts regarding breathlessness (b=0.164; 95% CI: 0.105, 0.222). Patients described in the open-ended question experiencing only panic or breathlessness, or a combination of both. Some patients managed to differentiate panic from episodic breathlessness, and used strategies to avoid panic in an episode.
CONCLUSIONS
Research on treatment options for episodic breathlessness should not only focus on panic in breathlessness episodes, but also on underlying mechanisms such as catastrophizing thoughts, as they aggravate the burden.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged; Male; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dyspnea; Fear
PubMed: 37691331
DOI: 10.21037/apm-22-1304 -
BMC Medicine Aug 2023Comorbidity is the rule rather than the exception for childhood and adolescent onset mental disorders, but we cannot predict its occurrence and do not know the neural...
Neurodevelopmental risk and adaptation as a model for comorbidity among internalizing and externalizing disorders: genomics and cell-specific expression enriched morphometric study.
BACKGROUND
Comorbidity is the rule rather than the exception for childhood and adolescent onset mental disorders, but we cannot predict its occurrence and do not know the neural mechanisms underlying comorbidity. We investigate if the effects of comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders on anatomical differences represent a simple aggregate of the effects on each disorder and if these comorbidity-associated cortical surface differences relate to a distinct genetic underpinning.
METHODS
We studied the cortical surface area (SA) and thickness (CT) of 11,878 preadolescents (9-10 years) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. Linear mixed models were implemented in comparative and association analyses among internalizing (dysthymia, major depressive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder), externalizing (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder) diagnostic groups, a group with comorbidity of the two and a healthy control group. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) and cell type specificity analysis were performed on 4468 unrelated European participants from this cohort.
RESULTS
Smaller cortical surface area but higher thickness was noted across patient groups when compared to controls. Children with comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders had more pronounced areal reduction than those without comorbidity, indicating an additive burden. In contrast, cortical thickness had a non-linear effect with comorbidity: the comorbid group had no significant CT differences, while those patient groups without comorbidity had significantly higher thickness compare to healthy controls. Distinct biological pathways were implicated in regional SA and CT differences. Specifically, CT differences were associated with immune-related processes implicating astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, while SA-related differences related mainly to inhibitory neurons.
CONCLUSION
The emergence of comorbidity across distinct clusters of psychopathology is unlikely to be due to a simple additive neurobiological effect alone. Distinct developmental risk moderated by immune-related adaptation processes, with unique genetic and cell-specific factors, may contribute to underlying SA and CT differences. Children with the highest risk but lowest resilience, both captured in their developmental morphometry, may develop a comorbid illness pattern.
Topics: Humans; Depressive Disorder, Major; Genome-Wide Association Study; Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Comorbidity; Genomics
PubMed: 37542243
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-02920-9 -
Gut Microbes Dec 2023The gut microbiome is involved in the bi-directional relationship of the gut - brain axis. As most studies of this relationship are small and do not account for use of...
The gut microbiome is involved in the bi-directional relationship of the gut - brain axis. As most studies of this relationship are small and do not account for use of psychotropic drugs (PTDs), we explored the relations of the gut microbiome with several internalizing disorders, while adjusting for PTDs and other relevant medications, in 7,656 Lifelines participants from the Northern Netherlands (5,522 controls and 491 participants with at least one internalizing disorder). Disorders included dysthymia, major depressive disorder (MDD), any depressive disorder (AnyDep: dysthymia or MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and any anxiety disorder (AnyAnx: GAD, social phobia and panic disorder). Compared to controls, 17 species were associated with depressive disorders and 3 were associated with anxiety disorders. Around 90% of these associations remained significant (FDR <0.05) after adjustment for PTD use, suggesting that the disorders, not PTD use, drove these associations. Negative associations were observed for the butyrate-producing bacteria in participants with AnyDep and for in AnyAnx participants, along with many others. Tryptophan and glutamate synthesis modules and the 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid synthesis module (related to dopamine metabolism) were negatively associated with MDD and/or dysthymia. After additional adjustment for functional gastrointestinal disorders and irritable bowel syndrome, these relations remained either statistically (FDR <0.05) or nominally ( < 0.05) significant. Overall, multiple bacterial species and functional modules were associated with internalizing disorders, including gut - brain relevant components, while associations to PTD use were moderate. These findings suggest that internalizing disorders rather than PTDs are associated with gut microbiome differences relative to controls.
Topics: Humans; Depressive Disorder, Major; Depression; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Psychotropic Drugs
PubMed: 38017662
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2281360 -
Postepy Psychiatrii Neurologii Sep 2023The objective of this article is to draw attention to an unusual clinical manifestation of pulmonary embolism (PE) as symptoms suggesting an underlying mental disorder.... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
The objective of this article is to draw attention to an unusual clinical manifestation of pulmonary embolism (PE) as symptoms suggesting an underlying mental disorder. This seems all the more important since PE is one of the most common causes of potentially preventable hospital deaths and delayed diagnosis of PE in patients consulted at emergency departments has been shown to be most common in elderly patients and the ones presenting with significantly altered mental status.
VIEWS
PE is a life-threatening condition that requires prompt diagnosis and appropriate management. There is no symptom that can be found characteristic for PE. Clinical picture of this condition is varied and may resemble many other disorders. The article emphasises that PE may also manifest with psychopathological symptoms that mimic psychiatric emergencies. Three most common groups of psychopathological symptoms that can mask a developing PE, such as panic attacks, symptoms of psychosis, and catatonia, are discussed here based on the literature review.
CONCLUSIONS
Particular care must be exercised while evaluating such a patient because initial misdiagnosis results in the patient being referred to a mental health care unit instead of a unit treating somatic disorders. There are no diagnostic or treatment facilities in large psychiatric hospitals to assist such a patient. This, in turn, leads to a significant delay in management and, consequently, to major complications or death.
PubMed: 38034502
DOI: 10.5114/ppn.2023.132118 -
Spanish Journal of Psychiatry and... 2024Population studies on social anxiety disorder (SAD) are relatively scarce and there is no previous reported evidence on prevalence or correlates of SAD in an Andalusian...
INTRODUCTION
Population studies on social anxiety disorder (SAD) are relatively scarce and there is no previous reported evidence on prevalence or correlates of SAD in an Andalusian general population sample.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We used a random representative sample previously identified via standard stratification procedures. Thus, a final sample of 4507 participants were included (response rate 83.7%). Interviewees were thoroughly assessed on sociodemographic, clinical and psychosocial factors, including: exposures to threatening life events (TLEs), childhood abuse, personality disorder and traits (neuroticism, impulsivity, paranoia), global functioning, physical health and toxics consumption. SAD diagnosis was ascertained using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Both, pooled prevalences (with 95% confidence intervals) and risk correlates for SAD were estimated using binary logistic regression.
RESULTS
Estimated prevalence for SAD was 1.1% (95% CI=0.8-1.4). Having a SAD diagnosis was independently and significantly associated with younger age, poorer global functioning, higher neuroticism and paranoia personality traits, having suffered childhood abuse and exposure to previous TLEs. Furthermore, SAD was significantly associated with comorbid personality disorder, major depression, panic disorder and alcohol abuse.
CONCLUSIONS
Among this large Andalusian population sample, the prevalence of SAD and its associated factors are relatively similar to previously reported international studies, although no population study had previously reported such a strong association with paranoia.
Topics: Humans; Phobia, Social; Female; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Spain; Prevalence; Young Adult; Adolescent; Comorbidity; Aged; Personality Disorders
PubMed: 38720187
DOI: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.09.006 -
Journal of Behavior Therapy and... Dec 2023Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. Virtual reality (VR) treatment approaches have increasingly been studied. Before clinical... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. Virtual reality (VR) treatment approaches have increasingly been studied. Before clinical implementation, it is necessary to evaluate the treatment effect of VR applications. The objective is to evaluate the treatment effect of virtual reality applications in the treatment of anxiety disorders compared to conventional therapy.
METHODS
A systematic literature review with meta-analysis was conducted. Four databases were used to identify randomized controlled trials published between April 2011 and April 2021 which compare VR applications with non-VR interventions or waiting lists. Study characteristics, pre- and post-treatment data were extracted. Hedges g was calculated as effect size. Primary outcome was anxiety symptoms.
RESULTS
Data from 17 studies from 827 participants was extracted. The studies examined specific phobia (n = 9), social anxiety disorder (n = 4), agoraphobia (n = 2) and panic disorder (n = 2). 16 out of 17 studies used head-mounted displays as VR application. A non-significant effect size with significant heterogeneity was observed in favor of the use of VR applications in anxiety symptoms (g, 0.33; 95%-CI, -0.20-0.87). Compared to passive control groups, VR applications are associated significant with lower anxiety symptoms (g, 1.29; 95%-CI, 0.68-1.90).
LIMITATIONS
The study and patient characteristics varied between the individual studies which is reflected in a high statistical heterogeneity of the effect sizes.
CONCLUSIONS
The added value of VR applications over waiting-list or psychoeducation only control groups is obvious. VR applications can be used as part of the treatment of anxiety disorders, especially when conventional therapy is unavailable.
Topics: Humans; Anxiety Disorders; Phobic Disorders; Phobia, Social; Anxiety; Virtual Reality; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37453405
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101893 -
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports Sep 2023Previous behavioral pharmacology studies involving rodents suggested riluzole had potential to be an ideal psychotropic drug for psychiatric disorders with anxiety or... (Review)
Review
AIM
Previous behavioral pharmacology studies involving rodents suggested riluzole had potential to be an ideal psychotropic drug for psychiatric disorders with anxiety or fear as primary symptoms. Several clinical studies have recently been conducted. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the efficacy and tolerability of riluzole for patients with those symptoms.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database from inception until April 2021, and performed manual searches for additional relevant articles. This review included: (1) studies involving participants that were patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, or phobias; and (2) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or intervention studies (e.g., single arm trials) examining the effects and safety of riluzole.
RESULTS
Of the 795 identified articles, four RCTs, one RCT subgroup-analysis, and three open-label trials without control groups met the inclusion criteria. Most trials evaluated the efficacy of riluzole as an augmentation therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other antidepressants for PTSD, OCD, or GAD. However, there was insufficient evidence to confirm the effects of riluzole for patients with these psychiatric disorders. Most trials demonstrated adequate study quality.
CONCLUSIONS
This review found insufficient evidence to confirm the effects of riluzole for psychiatric disorders with anxiety or fear as primary symptoms. It would be worthwhile to conduct studies that incorporate novel perspectives, such as examining the efficacy of riluzole as a concomitant medication for psychotherapy.
Topics: Humans; Riluzole; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Fear
PubMed: 37463744
DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12364 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024Panic disorder is a common psychiatric diagnosis characterized by acute, distressing somatic symptoms that mimic medically-relevant symptoms. As a result, individuals... (Review)
Review
Panic disorder is a common psychiatric diagnosis characterized by acute, distressing somatic symptoms that mimic medically-relevant symptoms. As a result, individuals with panic disorder overutilize personal and healthcare resources in an attempt to diagnose and treat physical symptoms that are often medically benign. A biobehavioral perspective on these symptoms is needed that integrates psychological and medical knowledge to avoid costly treatments and prolonged suffering. This narrative review examines six common somatic symptoms of panic attacks (non-cardiac chest pain, palpitations, dyspnea, dizziness, abdominal distress, and paresthesia), identified in the literature as the most severe, prevalent, or critical for differential diagnosis in somatic illness, including long COVID. We review somatic illnesses that are commonly comorbid or produce panic-like symptoms, their relevant risk factors, characteristics that assist in distinguishing them from panic, and treatment approaches that are typical for these conditions. Additionally, this review discusses key factors, including cultural considerations, to assist healthcare professionals in differentiating benign from medically relevant symptoms in panic sufferers.
PubMed: 38779550
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1296569