The impact of hypervigilance: evidence for a forward feedback loop.

A number of prominent theories suggest that hypervigilance and attentional bias play a central role in anxiety disorders and PTSD. It is argued that hypervigilance may focus attention on potential threats and precipitate or maintain a forward feedback loop in which anxiety is increased. While there is considerable data to suggest that attentional bias exists, there is little evidence to suggest that it plays this proposed but critical role.