Effect of worry on regional cerebral blood flow in nonanxious subjects.

Several studies suggest that cognitive tasks attenuate activation of the limbic system by emotional stimuli. We investigated the possibility that worry would similarly inhibit the limbic system by examining its effects on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Ten nonanxious volunteers underwent four scans within one session, using positron emission tomography (PET) with H(2)(15)O as tracer.

Somatic symptoms and physiologic responses in generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder: an ambulatory monitor study.

Background: Physiologic responses of patients with anxiety disorders to everyday events are poorly understood.

Objective: To compare self-reports and physiologic recordings in patients with panic disorder (PD), patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and nonanxious controls during daily activities.

Design: Participants underwent four 6-hour recording sessions during daily activities while wearing an ambulatory monitor.

Physiological arousal in females with fragile X or Turner syndrome.

Physiological arousal was measured in 12- to 22-year-old females with either fragile X, Turner syndrome, or neither disorder to explore potential differences in the manifestation of arousal and anxiety in adolescents and young women. Physiological arousal was measured at baseline and during performance on mental arithmetic, divided attention, and risk-taking tasks. Contrary to prediction, females with fragile X rarely exhibited higher arousal than females in either the Turner syndrome or comparison groups.