Neurobiology of Social Phobia

AbstractSocial phobia is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive fear and/or avoidance of situations in which an individual believes that he or she may be the subject of evaluation or scrutiny while interacting with other people or performing a specific task. This article reviews the available literature on the neurobiology underlying social phobia, including autonomic nervous system effects, neuroimaging findings, pharmacologic challenge studies, and neuroendocrine responsivity and function. Overall, such studies have found few consistently demonstrable differences in neurobiology between patients with social phobia and healthy controls, but further investigations are needed.

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3244 The Autonomic Nervous System as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Huntington Disease

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2019.132 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (s1) ◽

pp. 55-55

Author(s):

Jordan L Schultz ◽

Lyndsay Harshman ◽

John Kamholz ◽

Peggy Nopoulos

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Sympathetic Nervous System ◽

Huntington Disease ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Beta Blockers ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Data Set ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Sympathetic Nervous

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: This study (1) investigated the presence and severity of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in patients with pre-symptomatic Huntington Disease (HD) and (2) determined if pharmacologic manipulation of the ANS could modify the progression of HD. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using a unique data set of children at-risk for HD (the Kids-HD study), markers of autonomic function (resting heart rate [rHR], blood pressure [BP], and core body temperature [CBT]) were compared between pre-symptomatic, gene-expanded children (psGE) and healthy developing children using mixed models analyses controlling for sex, age, and body mass index. Included participants had to be < 18 years old and be at least 10 years from their predicted motor diagnosis of HD. Using the Enroll-HD database, inverse-propensity score weighted, Cox Regression analyses investigated the effects of beta-blockers on the timing of motor diagnosis of presymptomatic, adult patients with HD. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, the psGE participants had significantly (p<0.05) higher mean rHR, systolic BP percentile, and CBT compared to the healthy controls (elevated by 4.01 bpm 0.19°C, and 5.96 percentile points, respectively, in the psGE group). Participants from Enroll-HD who were using a beta-blocker prior to motor diagnosis (n=65) demonstrated a significantly lower annualized risk of motor diagnosis [HR=0.56, p=0.03], compared to other participants with HD (n=1972). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Sympathetic nervous system activity is elevated in patients with HD decades prior to their predicted motor diagnosis. Furthermore, modulation of the sympathetic nervous system with beta-blockers significantly lowers the annualized risk of motor diagnosis of HD.

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Altered Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity to Pain in Trigeminal Neuralgia

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/cjn.2015.10 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 125-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Guillaume Léonard ◽

Philippe Chalaye ◽

Philippe Goffaux ◽

David Mathieu ◽

Isabelle Gaumond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Trigeminal Neuralgia ◽

Cold Pressor Test ◽

Cardiac Activity ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

P Values ◽

Autonomic Nervous

AbstractBackground: In the past two decades, there has been increasing evidence to suggest that trigeminal neuralgia (TN) may be linked to a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The aim of the present study was to formally test this hypothesis by comparing the reactivity of the ANS to experimental pain in a population of TN patients and healthy controls. Methods: Twelve patients diagnosed with classical TN and 12 healthy controls participated in the study. Cardiac activity was assessed while participants were instructed to rest and again during a cold pressor test (CPT). Heart rate variability analyses were performed off-line to obtain parasympathetic (high-frequency) and sympathetic (low-frequency) indices. Results: At baseline, ANS measures did not differ between healthy controls and TN patients, and both groups showed a similar increase in heart rate during the CPT (all p values >0.05). However, TN patients showed a greater increase in cardiac sympathetic activity and a greater decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity during CPT compared with healthy controls (all p values <0.05). Importantly, changes in sympathetic reactivity, from baseline to CPT, were negatively associated with the number of pain paroxysms experienced each day by TN patients in the preceding week (r=−.58, p<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that TN, like many other short-lasting, unilateral facial pain conditions, is linked to ANS alterations. Future studies are required to determine if the altered ANS response observed in TN patients is a cause or a consequence of TN pain

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BACK TO BASICS

Pediatrics in Review ◽

10.1542/pir.14.12.489 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 489-492

Author(s):

Jeffrey S. Rubenstein

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Parasympathetic Nervous System ◽

Smooth Muscles ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Autonomic Nerve ◽

Therapeutic Goals ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Organ Systems ◽

And Function

The last 20 years have seen an explosion in our knowledge of the autonomic nervous system and our ability to manipulate its parasympathetic and sympathetic portions pharmacologically to achieve therapeutic goals. This article will briefly review the structure and function of the autonomic nervous system, with particular focus on the sympathetic branch. Included in the review is a discussion of the major receptors of the sympathetic system, concentrating on their intracellular mechanism of action, their effects on major target organ systems, and some commonly used pharmacologic agents that influence these organ systems through their actions on sympathetic receptors. Structure and Function of the System The autonomic (or involuntary) nervous system innervates the heart, visceral organs, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands. It can be divided functionally into the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems, which have opposing functions. All autonomic nerve pathways consist of two nerves in sequence. Presynaptic nerves begin in the central nervous system and transmit impulses to the postsynaptic nerves. Postsynaptic nerves then carry impulses to the effector organ. Actions of the parasympathetic nervous system include bradycardia, vasodilation in skeletal muscle and skin, contraction of bronchial smooth muscle, increased gastrointestinal motility, pupillary miosis, and contraction of the bladder detrusor coupled with relaxation of the bladder trigone (necessary for spontaneous voiding).

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AB0930 Cross-sectional analysis of the autonomic nervous system (heart rate variability): correlations with psychological dimensions in women with fibromialgia, rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls

10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-eular.5974 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

TL Santiago ◽

D Peixoto ◽

C Costa ◽

JA Pereira da Silva

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

Psychological Dimensions

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Aging, disease and the autonomic nervous system

Reviews in Clinical Gerontology ◽

10.1017/s0959259897000130 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 119-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kenneth J Collins

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Old Age ◽

Autonomic Nerve ◽

Autonomic Nerves ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Nerve Structure ◽

Degree Of Certainty ◽

Development And Aging ◽

And Function

Autonomic disorders in old age can be attributed to several main features associated with aging: the intrinsic neurobiological changes that occur with age, degenerative changes in effector organs innervated by autonomic nerves, and secondary involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in disease processes. As in most areas of clinical geriatrics, the distinction between disorders ascribed to ‘normal’ aging and those attributable to diseases of old age is difficult to make with any degree of certainty. Neurobiological changes with age have become the subject of intense investigation in recent years, with improvements in techniques for assessing autonomic nerve structure and function. This has included a better understanding of neurotransmitter and receptor transformations during development and aging. The versatility of the ANS, or ‘plasticity’, involves interactions with target organs, e.g. via nerve growth factor (NGF) and with other neurons, and it is as vital to the mature and aging autonomic neuron as it is during development. Some neurotrophic features of aging in the ANS and in disease processes in old age are considered in this paper.

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Autonomic Response to Pain in Patients with Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2013/16/e277 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3;16 (3;5) ◽

pp. E277-E285

Author(s):

Jo Nijs

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Pain Modulation ◽

Autonomic Response ◽

Conditioned Pain Modulation ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Whiplash Associated Disorders ◽

Chronic Whiplash ◽

Endogenous Analgesia

Background: Patients with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD) demonstrate altered central pain processing and impaired endogenous analgesia. In addition, previous research reported disturbances in the autonomic nervous system and the presence of post-traumatic stress reaction in patients with chronic WAD. The autonomic nervous system, in particular the autonomic stress response, might modulate central pain processing in this population. Objectives: The goal of this study was to compare the autonomic response to acute painful stimuli in patients with chronic WAD and healthy controls and to look for associations between endogenous analgesia and autonomic parameters. Study design: Case-control study. Methods: Thirty patients with chronic WAD and 31 healthy controls were subjected to an experiment evaluating the autonomic nervous system at rest and during experimental painful stimuli. Skin conductance, heart rate, and heart rate variability parameters were monitored continuously during the evaluation of conditioned pain modulation. The paradigm of heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulation was used to assess this conditioned pain modulation effect. Results: The data revealed no difference in autonomic response to pain between chronic WAD and healthy controls. The autonomic response was unrelated to pressure pain thresholds or the effect of conditioned pain modulation in either group. Limitations: The present study only investigates the autonomic response to a stress caused by pain. Conclusion: Results of this study refute autonomic dysfunction in response to pain in patients with chronic WAD. The autonomic nervous system activity or reactivity to acute pain appears unrelated to either pain thresholds or endogenous analgesia in patients with chronic WAD. Key words: chronic whiplash associated disorders, central sensitization, pain modulation; posttraumatic stress disorder ,sympathetic, heart rate variability

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Estudo da Função Autonômica em Gestantes

Manual Therapy Posturology & Rehabilitation Journal ◽

10.17784/mtprehabjournal.2015.13.260 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 260

Author(s):

Wagner Santos Araújo ◽

Jefferson Petto ◽

Alan Carlos Nery Dos Santos ◽

Francisco Tiago Oliveira De Oliveira ◽

Cauê Santos Da Mata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Transitional Period ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Two Phases ◽

The Times ◽

And Function

Introduction: Pregnancy is characterized by physiological changes related to the formation of an ideal environment for the fetus. This period is not unusual occur deviations from normality, as well as imbalance between the various body systems, especially the autonomic nervous system, which can result in pathological conditions. Objective: To evaluate the cardiovascular autonomic function and in accordance with gestational age pregnant women in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter, by studying the Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Method: Were evaluated 20 pregnant women enrolled in a Basic Health Unit. The protocol was divided into two phases with 10 minutes duration in the left lateral decubitus (LLD) and 10 minutes in the sitting position (SEDT). Evaluated: heart rate (HR), Parasympathetic Function (HF) and Function Friendly and influence Parasympathetic (LF), Balance sympathetic / parasympathetic (LF / HF), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) and Respiratory Rate (FR). The DLE phases, SEDT and the transition between them were compared in each trimester. The transitional period and both times were also compared separately according to gestational age. The moments 0min (A), 10min (B) and 20 min (C); were also faced, and finally comparing the quarters 1 (D) 2 (E) and 3 (F). Statistical analysis was applied to Friedman's analysis of variance. Results: Compared to the steps (0min- x10min- DLE DLE / SEDT x20min- SEDT) in the 1st quarter, there was no significance for HR, SBP, DBP and FR. In the 2nd quarter, when analyzed times (0min- x10min- DLE DLE / SEDT x20min- SEDT) with each other, not reach significance the variables HR, SBP, DBP, RF and LF / HF ratio. By analyzing the times (0min- x10min- DLE DLE / SEDT x20min- SEDT) of the 3rd quarter, it was for HR, SBP, DBP, RF and LF / HF values without significance. Conclusion: This study indicates the existence of significant changes in the autonomic nervous system and cardiorespiratory.

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Autonomic Activity and Induced Convulsions

Journal of Mental Science ◽

10.1192/bjp.92.386.146 ◽

1946 ◽

Vol 92 (386) ◽

pp. 146-149

Author(s):

F. Reitman

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Epileptic Activity ◽

Central Action ◽

Autonomic Activity ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Cerebral Activity ◽

The Subject ◽

Convulsive Threshold ◽

The Brain

Since the influence of the autonomic nervous system on epileptic phenomena became the subject of intensive investigations, several contradictory reports have been published. Williams and Russell (1941) and Williams (1941) found that parasympathetic overactivity (induced chemically and registered by electro-encephalography) increases epileptic activity. Darrow (1944) reported opposite results, his observations being based on electrically induced parasympathetic overactivity on animals. He registered his observations by electroencephalography. Cohen, Thale and Tissenbaum (1044) induced convulsions for therapeutical purposes by administering the parasympathomimetic drug, acetylcholine, and Chatfield and Dempsey (1942) observed the production of fits in cats, when giving acetylcholine and prostigmine together. Though the results were contradictory, the main aim of all these investigations was to establish the cholinergic neurohumoral changes in relation to epilepsy. But, as Williams pointed out, it is impossible to say whether the results are due to a direct central action, are consequent upon changes in the pH or of a respiratory or a circulatory nature. The investigations described in this paper were devised to re-examine these problems clinically. They were based on the hypothesis that if cholinergic overactivity enhances epileptic cerebral activity, the convulsive threshold of the brain should be lowered after administration of anticholinesterases, in particular prostigmine.

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Classical Conditioning: Still Going Strong

Behavioural Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s0141347300011514 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 59-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Marcel van den Hout ◽

Harald Merckelbach

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Autonomic Nervous System ◽

Classical Conditioning ◽

Unconditioned Stimulus ◽

Immunological Parameters ◽

Simple Result ◽

Autonomic Nervous ◽

Evaluative Judgments ◽

The Subject ◽

Common Misconceptions

This paper summarizes developments in the field of classical conditioning. Attention is paid to four common misconceptions of what is classical conditioning. First, classical conditioning does not ensue as a simple result of temporal pairing of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. Rather, conditioned reacting occurs if and to the degree that the subject is able to predict the occurrence of one stimulus from the presence of another one. Second, what is learned during classical conditioning is not necessarily a response to a cue, but rather a probabilistic relationship between various stimuli. Third, classical conditioning is not only manifested in responses mediated by the autonomic nervous system, but also in immunological parameters, in motoric behaviour and in evaluative judgments. Fourth, the nature of the conditioned and the unconditioned stimulus is (often) not a matter of indifference: particular combinations of CS and US produce more powerful conditioning effects than do other combinations. In the second part of the paper, the potential relevance of these developments is illustrated. Discussions are included about anxiety, addictions and food aversions/conditioned nausea.

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