Panic Disorder: Neurobiology And Mechanisms Of Cardiac Risk
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,657.00
Summary
Some people are subject to episodes of recurring, often inexplicable anxiety which are very unpleasant and accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, tremor and a sensation of suffocation. Recurring attacks over a period of months, or years, forms the basis for the diagnostic of panic disorder. It has until recently been felt that although panic disorder was distressing and disabling, it did not constitute a risk of life. Sufferers often fear that they have heart disease, b ....Some people are subject to episodes of recurring, often inexplicable anxiety which are very unpleasant and accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, tremor and a sensation of suffocation. Recurring attacks over a period of months, or years, forms the basis for the diagnostic of panic disorder. It has until recently been felt that although panic disorder was distressing and disabling, it did not constitute a risk of life. Sufferers often fear that they have heart disease, because of the nature of their symptoms, but have been reassured that this is not the case. Recent epidemiological studies, however, indicate that there is an increased risk in patients with panic disorder. Our hypotheses in this research project are as follow: That some specific genes predispose to the development of panic disorder - through actions on the nervous system and blood vessels That drug treatment (selective serotonin uptake blockers) and psychological treatment (cognitive behaviour therapy, CBT) reduce cardiac risk in panic disorder We will test these hypothesis using state of the art clinical scientific methods. Panic disorder has an important cardiological dimension which needs to be better understood for cardiac protection to be achieved in panic disorder patients.Read moreRead less
Panic Disorder: Neurobiology And Mechanisms Of Cardiac Risks
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$414,375.00
Summary
Some people are subject to episodes of recurring, often inexplicable anxiety which are very unpleasant and accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, tremor and a sensation of suffocation. Recurring attacks over a period of months, or years, forms the basis for the diagnosis of panic disorder. It has until recently been felt that although panic disorder was distressing and disabling, it did not constitute a risk to life. Sufferers often fear that they have heart disease, be ....Some people are subject to episodes of recurring, often inexplicable anxiety which are very unpleasant and accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, tremor and a sensation of suffocation. Recurring attacks over a period of months, or years, forms the basis for the diagnosis of panic disorder. It has until recently been felt that although panic disorder was distressing and disabling, it did not constitute a risk to life. Sufferers often fear that they have heart disease, because of the nature of their symptoms, but have been reassured that this is not the case. Recent epidemiological studies, however, indicate that there is an increased risk of heart risk in patients with panic disorder. Our hypotheses in this research are as follows: That panic disorder is characterised by increased release of the brain chemical messenger, serotonin, which is reversed by drug treatment with the most widely used class of drugs for this disorder, selective serotonin reuptake blockers That changes in an automatic stimulatory part of the nervous system, has primary importance in the disorder, in both genetically predisposing to panic disorder, and in mediating heart risk. That weight gain during therapy, a very common problem, is due to inhibition of brain serotonin release. We will test all these propositions using state of the art clinical scientific methods. Panic disorder has an important cardiological dimension which needs to be better understood for cardiac protection to be achieved in panic disorder patients. Our study of the mechanisms of cardiac risk should provide this. We will also provide very direct, valid measurements of chemical messenger release in the brain of panic disorder sufferers, using our unique methods. These should give a new understanding of the brain chemistry abnormalities of panic disorder, and the mechanism of action of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.Read moreRead less
Depressive Illness And The Heart: Identifying The Relation Between Affective Disorders And Coronary Heart Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$503,625.00
Summary
Major depression is ranked fourth among the 10 leading causes of the global burden of disease and, if epidemiological projections are correct, by 2020 it will reach second place. Patients with depression are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. This elevated risk is independent of conventional risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and hypertension. Also conclusively demonstrated is the adverse effect of depression in patients following myocardial inf ....Major depression is ranked fourth among the 10 leading causes of the global burden of disease and, if epidemiological projections are correct, by 2020 it will reach second place. Patients with depression are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. This elevated risk is independent of conventional risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and hypertension. Also conclusively demonstrated is the adverse effect of depression in patients following myocardial infarction (MI), which materially increases mortality. The mechanism of increased cardiac risk attributable to depressive illness is at present uncertain but activation of the sympathetic nervous system, exaggerated platelet reactivity and-or altered baroreflex function are likely to be of prime importance. Preliminary data from our laboratory indicates that whole body and cardiac sympathetic nervous activity and cardiac baroreflex sensitivity are modified following antidepressant therapy. Identifying the underlying neurochemical mechanisms responsible for alterations in affective behaviour, and quantifying cardiac and whole body sympathetic activity directly and indirectly, and testing whether therapeutic and behavioural interventions can influence brain neurotransmitter turnover and modify cardiac sympathetic tone, platelet reactivity, and baroreflex function in a fashion likely to reduce cardiac risk, will be an important step forward in alleviating the burden of depressive illness on the community.Read moreRead less