Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cognitive functions and the state of nonspecific brain systems in panic disorders

  • Published:
Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A total of 93 patients with panic disorders and 36 healthy control subjects were studied. Clinical-neurological, psychometric, neuropsychological, and neurophysiological (auditory cognitive evoked potentials) investigations were performed. Patients with typical panic disorders were characterized by increased levels of anxiety and depression, along with impairments to cognitive functions in the form of decreases in short-term memory and attention, as compared with healthy subjects. Patients with atypical panic disorders differed from patients with typical panic disorders in having lower levels of anxiety, more severe depression, and more marked cognitive disorders. As compared with healthy subjects, patients with atypical panic disorders showed reductions in the amplitude of the P300 evoked potential wave, while patients with typical panic disorders showed increases. It is suggested that changes in the amplitude parameters of the P300 wave are associated with dysfunction of the limbic-reticular structures of the brain in patients with panic disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A. M. Vein and O. A. Kolosova, Autonomic-Vascular Paroxysms [in Russian], Meditsina, Moscow (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  2. A. M. Vein, Diseases of the Autonomic Nervous System [in Russian], Meditsina, Moscow (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  3. A. M. Vein, G. M. Dyukova, O. V. Vorob’eva, and A. B. Danikov, Panic Attacks [in Russian], Éidos Media, Moscow (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  4. O. V. Vorob’eva, General Cerebral Mechanisms of the Development of Paroxysmal Epileptic and Non-Epileptic Disorders [in Russian], Author’s Abstract of Doctoral Thesis in Medical Sciences, Moscow (2001).

  5. V. V. Gnezditskii, Brain Evoked Potentials in Clinical Practice [in Russian], MEDpress, Moscow (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  6. É. A. Kostandov and O. A. Genkina, “Hemispheric asymmetry in the evoked electrical activity of the cerebral cortex to letter and nonverbal stimuli,” Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat., 26, No. 1, 21–28 (1976).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. É. A. Kostandov, Perception and Memory [in Russian], Nauka, Moscow (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  8. É. A. Kostandov, “The role of cognitive factors in emotional asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres in humans,” Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat., 40, No. 4, 611–619 (1990).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. A. Charvei, P300 Cognitive Evoked Potentials in Patients with Cerebrovascular Insufficiency with Mild and Moderate Cognitive Disorders [in Russian], Author’s Abstract of Master’s Thesis in Medical Sciences, Moscow (2006).

  10. P. Brambilla, F. Barale, E. Caverzasi, and J. C. Soares, “Anatomical MRI findings in mood and anxiety disorders,” Epidemiol. Psychiat. Soc., 11, No. 2, 88–99 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  11. DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Washington (1980).

  12. M. Fabiani, D. Karis, and E. Donchin, “P300 and memory,” EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 38, 63–69 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  13. D. S. Goodin and K. S. Squires, “Long latency event-related components of the auditory evoked potential in dementia,” Brain, 101, 635–648 (1978).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. D. S. Goodin and S. Marin, “P300, cognitive capability, and personality: a correlational study of university undergraduates,” Person. Individ. Dif., 21, 533–543 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  15. B. Gro, A. M. Metz, and P. Ullspreger, “Die P300-komponente des ereigniskorrelierten Hirnpotentials in einem Kurzzeitgedahtnisparadigma,” Z. Exp. Angew. Psychol., 39, S56–67 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  16. T. Hanatani, N. Sumi, S. Taguchi, et al., “Event-related potentials in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder,” Psychiat. Clin. Neurosci., 59, No. 1, 83–88 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. M. R. Marter and L. E. Salmon, “Intra-modality selective attention and evoked cortical potentials to randomly presented patterns,” EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 32, 605–613 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. A. B. Ivan and J. Polich, “P300 and response time from a manual Stroop task,” Clin. Neurophysiol., 110, 367–373 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. A. Iwanami, H. Isono, Y. Okajima, and K. Kamijima, “Auditory event-related potentials in panic disorder,” Eur. Arch. Psychiat. Clin. Neurosci., 247, 107–111 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. J. D. Kropotov and V. A. Ponomarev, “Subcortical neuronal correlates of component P300 in man,” EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 78, 40–49 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. I. Marks, Fears, Phobias and Rituals. Panic, Anxiety and Their Disorders, Oxford University Press (1987).

  22. G. Massana, J. M. Serra-Grabulosa, P. Salgado-Pineda, et al., “Amygdalar atrophy in panic disorder patients detected by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging,” Neuroimage, 19, No. 1, 80–89 (2003).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. G. Massana, J. Serra-Grabulosa, P. Salgado-Pineda, et al., “Parahippocampal gray matter density in panic-disorder: a voxel-based morphometric study,” Amer. J. Psychiat., 160, No. 3, 566–568 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. B. W. Muller, P. Stude, and K. Nebel, “Sparse imaging of the auditory oddball task with functional MRI,” Neuroreport, 14, No. 12, 1597–1601 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. T. F. Newton, A. F. Leuchter, and W. G. Van Gorp, “EEG power correlates with subcortical metabolic activity in AIDS,” J. Neuropsychiat. Clin. Neurosci., 9, No. 4, 574–578 (1997).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. P. Pauli, C. Amrhein, A. Muhlberger, et al., “Electrocortical evidence for an early abnormal processing of panic-related words in panic disorder patients,” Int. J. Psychophysiol., 57, No. 1, 33–41 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. S. S. Pillay, J. Rogowska, S. A. Gruber, et al., “Recognition of happy facial affect in panic disorder. An fMRI study,” J. Anxiety Disord., 64, No. 5, 356–365 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  28. J. Polich, C. Ladish, and F. E. Bloom, “P300 assessment of early Alzheimer’s disease,” EEG. Clin. Neurophysiol., 77, 179–189 (1990).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. J. Polich and L. R. Squire, “P300 from amnesic patients with bilateral hippocampal lesion,” EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 86, 408–417 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. J. Polich and A. Kok, “Cognitive and biological determinants of P300: an integrative review,” Biol. Psychol., 41, No. 2, 103–146 (1995).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. R. Purcell, P. Maruff, and M. Kyrios, “Cognitive deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder on tests of frontal-striatal function,” Biol. Psychiat., 43, 348–357 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. J. M. Richard, H. B. Michael, J. K. Shawn, and S. G. Amy, “Brain regions showing increased activation by threat-related words in panic disorder,” Neuroreport, 14, No. 3, 325–328 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  33. J. Rohrbaugh, E. Donchin, and C. Eriksen, “Decision making and the P300 component of the cortical evoked response,” Percept. Psychophys., 15, 368–374 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  34. S. R. Sabat, “Selective attention, cortical evoked responses, and brain function in human subjects: A critical review and theory,” Bull. Psychol., 7, 175 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. T. Saitoh, “Event-related potentials (ERPs) in depressive patients. Clinical application of the P300 component,” J. Iwate Med. Ass., 4, 315–327 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  36. K. Syndulko, E. C. Hansch, and S. N. Cohen, “Long-latency event-related potentials in normal aging and dementia,” in: Clinical Applications of Evoked Potentials in Neurology, Raven Press, New York (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  37. T. Turan, E. Esel, F. Karaaslan, et al., “Auditory event-related potentials in panic and generalised anxiety disorders,” Progr. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatr., 26, No. 1, 123–126 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. J. Wang, H. Miyazato, M. Randall, et al., “The N200 abnormalities of auditory event-related potentials in patients with panic disorder,” Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiat., 27, No. 6, 1013–1021 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. C. D. Yingling and Y. Hosobuchi, “A subcortical correlate of P300 in man,” EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 594, 72–76 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Postgraduate Professional Education, I. M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Institute, Moscow, Russia

    S. A. Gordeev

Authors
  1. S. A. Gordeev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

__________

Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 107, No. 6, pp. 54–60, June, 2007.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gordeev, S.A. Cognitive functions and the state of nonspecific brain systems in panic disorders. Neurosci Behav Physi 38, 707–714 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-008-9036-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-008-9036-z

Key Words

Search

Navigation