Anxiety Flashcards
Learn the basic information regarding Anxiety.
What are some examples of anxiety disorders?
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Specific Phobias
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Describe OCD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
- Lifetime prevalence: 2-3%
- Onset late teens to early 20s
- Some genetic influence
- Increased serotonin
- Treatment with SSRIs
Describe Panic Disorder.
- Recurrent unexpected monthly panic attacks lasting 5-30 minutes.
- Lifetime prevalence of 2-3%
- Onset 20s-30s.
- Maybe CO2 hypersensitivity, abnormalities of locus coeruleus, catecholamines (DA, NE, E) elevated, GABA receptors.
- Induce panic with GABA antagonists
- Treat with all classes of antidepressants.
Describe Specific Phobias.
- Intense fear of specific object or situation.
- Lifetime prevalence of 25%
- Onset in childhood
- Tend to run in families
- Remit with age
- Those that persist treated with desensitization.
Describe Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Pervasive worry about most aspects of life, most days, for at least six months.
- Lifetime prevalence 5%.
- Twice as common in women.
- Typical onset is early 20s.
- Heritability ~30%.
- Some thought that GABA, 5-HT and NE involved.
- Abnormalities in HPA axis.
- Increased metabolic rates in occipital, temporal and frontal lobes and cerebellum.
- Treat with CBT, benzodizepines, buspirone and beta-blockers
Describe Social Anxiety Disorder.
- Intense fear of scrutiny or judgement in social situations.
- Biased negative impressions of own performance and others’ perceptions of them.
- Hypervigilant for signs of negative evaluation by others.
- May be generalized or limited.
- Lifetime prevalence of 5-12%.
- Onset typically before 25.
- Risk factors: female, family history, childhood shyness.
- Associated with amygdala, insula and prefrontal cortex.
- Serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and oxytocin levels abnormal in SAD.
- Treated with CBT, all classes of antidepressants, beta-blockers.
PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Persistent reexperience of trauma, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, efforts to avoid recollection, hyperarousal.
- Lifetime incidence of 7-12%.
- 4x more common in women
- Brought on by traumatic experience, such as combat, assault, rape, disaster, MVA
- High co-morbidity with other disorders.
- Risk factors: lower SES, parental neglect, poor social support, reaction to traumatic event.
- Influenced by biologic factors, such as size of hippocampus, genetics.
- Treat with all classes of antidepressants, CBT, EMDR
What role does the amygdala have in anxiety?
Important for fear learning. Increased activity in response to emotional stimuli in OCD, GAD, SAD, PTSD.
What parts of the brain are involved in detecting emotion and generating appropriate response?
Amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortex.
What does the insula connect to and its role?
Connects to mPFC and OFC, ACC, amygdala. Associated with disgust and emotions. Differentiates positive from negative emotions.
What does the mPFC do?
Sends inhibitory (GABA) projection to amygdala. Activity in mPFC decreased in PTSD, leads to greater activity in amygdala.
What parts of the brain are involved in PTSD?
Amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, insula, inferior parietal lobule, cingulate, precuneus.
What parts of the brain are involved in SAD?
Amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, globus pallidus, insula, inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus.
What parts of the brain are involved in SPD?
Amygdala, fusiform gyrus, substantia nigra, insula, and cingulate.
Define anxiety.
The general term for disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying.
