Normal and pathological anxiety

2002 ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gérard Emilien ◽  
Timothy Dinan ◽  
Ulla Marjatta Lepola ◽  
Cécile Durlach
Keyword(s):  
Pathological Anxiety

A review on aversive Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer in humans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Gerlicher ◽  
Merel Kindt
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Transfer Paradigm ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Imminent Threat ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

A cue that indicates imminent threat elicits a wide range of physiological, hormonal, autonomic, cognitive, and emotional fear responses in humans and facilitates threat-specific avoidance behavior. The occurrence of a threat cue can, however, also have general motivational effects and affect behavior. That is, the encounter with a threat cue can increase our tendency to engage in general avoidance behavior that does neither terminate nor prevent the threat-cue or the threat itself. Furthermore, the encounter with a threat-cue can substantially reduce our likelihood to engage in behavior that leads to rewarding outcomes. Such general motivational effects of threat-cues on behavior can be informative about the transition from normal to pathological anxiety and could also explain the development of comorbid disorders, such as depression and substance abuse. Despite the unmistakable relevance of the motivational effects of threat for our understanding of anxiety disorders, their investigation is still in its infancy. Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer is one paradigm that allows us to investigate such motivational effects of threat cues. Here, we review studies investigating aversive transfer in humans and discuss recent results on the neural circuits mediating Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer effects. Finally, we discuss potential limitations of the transfer paradigm and future directions for employing Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer for the investigation of motivational effects of fear and anxiety.

Defining Cognitive Changes in Depression and Anxiety: a Psychobiological Analysis

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. 131s-138s
Author(s):  
O.M. Wolkowltz ◽  
H. Weingartner
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Drug Effects ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Anxiety States ◽  
Cognitive Failure ◽  
Component Processes ◽  
Knowledge Memory ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

SummaryWhile it is generally assumed that pathological anxiety states are associated with impaired cognition, surprisingly few studies have formally tested this theory. This is in marked contrast to the study of cognition in depression, where specific cognitive deficits have been delineated. A conceptual framework for the study of cognition. which we have previously utilized in studying the psychobiology of cognitive failure, may facilitate the study of cognition in pathological anxiety States. We propose that memory is not a unitary process; rather, it is composed of several psychobiologically distinct components, which may be specifically disrupted or spared. This differentiated approach to the study of cognition permits the comparison of disease or drug effects on specific cognitive processes and may allow a mapping of individual processes onto specific psychobiological determinants. In this framework, change in cognitive performance may be related to alterations in “intrinsic” cognitive processes or noncognitive “intrinsic” processes. “Intrinsic” processes include the memory of specific biographical or contextually-related recent events (episodic memory) and the memory of previously acquired knowledge, language, procedures and rules (knowledge memory) Processes that require effort and cognitive capacity and those that can be performed more automatically may characterize “intrinsic” memory function. “Extrinsic” modulatory processes include mood, sensitivity to reinforcement,arousal/activation, and sensorimotor capabilities. Findings in patients with depression, Alzheimer's disease and Korsakoff's disease, as well as findings in individuals who have received benzodiazapines, anticholnergic medications, or corticosteroids highlight the utility of this framework and support the notion that these component processes of memory are psychobiologically distinct. Memory-testing paradigms based on this framework may further our knowledge of the specific cognitive alterations that are associated with States of pathological anxiety.

scholarly journals What happens to anxiety disorders in later life?

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard JA Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Measuring Change ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

Anxiety disorders decline in prevalence with advancing age but remain more common than depressive disorders. They are often of late-onset and there is frequent comorbidity with depressive disorders and physical illness. While anxiety disorders in older people are likely to respond to the same non-pharmacological interventions that have been shown to work in younger people, there is currently little formal evidence of this. Although there is some evidence that the non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic medication, buspirone, is effective against late life anxiety symptoms, clinical trials in older people with rigorously diagnosed anxiety disorders are needed. An anxiety scale with demonstrated reliability and validity in older people is needed for screening for pathological anxiety and for measuring change in older patients undergoing treatment for anxiety disorders.

Anxiety Disorders: Introduction

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladan Starcevic, MD, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
American Psychiatric Association ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Broad Agreement ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
Adaptive Role ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

Anxiety disorders can be defined as conditions characterized by pathological anxiety that has not been caused by physical illness, is not associated with substance use, and is not part of a psychotic illness. Therefore, the concept of anxiety disorders is largely based on exclusion of several causes of pathological anxiety–hardly a scientifically defensible position. Since pathological anxiety has been postulated as the sine qua non of anxiety disorders, it is important to first make a distinction between pathological and ‘‘normal’’ anxiety. For the sake of clarifying this matter, the terms anxiety and fear are used here interchangeably (as they both denote a response to a perceived threat), although there is also a prominent view that conceptual differences do exist between them (see also Table 2—21 and Barlow’s account of panic attacks in Chapter 2 for further discussion of this issue). There is broad agreement that pathological and normal anxiety can be distinguished on the basis of the criteria listed in Table 1—1. These criteria cut across all the components of anxiety: subjective, physiological (somatic), cognitive, and behavioral. Although the criteria may seem clear-cut, in practice it may be difficult to draw a precise boundary between pathological and normal anxiety. It is often assumed that normal anxiety has an adaptive role, because it serves as a signal that there is some danger and that measures need to be taken (e.g., a fight or flight response) to protect oneself against that danger; both the danger perceived and the measures taken are considered appropriate (i.e., not exaggerated) in normal anxiety. For example, a student who is anxious about failing the exam correctly judges herself to be well below the sufficient level of knowledge and doubles the effort to catch up with her studies and minimize the risk of failing. In contrast, pathological anxiety pertains to an inaccurate or excessive appraisal of danger; protective measures taken against this danger are way out of proportion to the real threat. Anxiety disorders were introduced in 1980 as a distinct nosological group in the Third Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980).

Epidemiology of anxiety disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 917-927
Author(s):  
Hans-Ulrich Wittchen ◽  
Katja Beesdo-Baum
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Separation Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Targeted Prevention ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

This chapter describes the prevalence, onset, course, persistence, comorbidity, and outcome, as well as correlates and risk factors of anxiety disorders, namely separation anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. The focus is laid upon the early years of life (childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood), given that most anxiety disorders have their onset at this time, typically persisting over the life course, and thus representing powerful risk factors for the onset of subsequent mental disorders such as depression and substance use disorders. Despite progress, continued research efforts are needed towards identifying which vulnerability and risk factors play a causal role for the onset and persistence of pathological anxiety. An improved understanding of the complex underlying biological and psychological mechanisms and interactions is crucial to facilitate more effective targeted prevention research and treatment.

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