Enhanced Startle Reactions to Acoustic Stimuli in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Kumari, Veena; Kaviani, Hossein; Raven, Peter; Gray, Jeffrey A.; Checkley, Stuart

doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.1.134

Cited by 70 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…spiders), while in generalized anxiety disorder the absence of a specific feared object is characteristic. Recent experimental evidence from startle studies suggested that in contrast to phobic patients, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD patients do not show increased sensitivity to specific fear-cues, but rather to the general experimental setting (Morgan et al 1995;Grillon and Ameli 1998;Kumari et al 2001; see also Lang et al 1998, for a similar argument). Since these patients exhibit normal fear-potentiated startle, but increased "baseline" startle, the study of the psychopharmacology of contextual manipulations in addition to cue-specific ones is important (Grillon et al 1999;Ameli et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

et al. 2002

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At least one type of fear-potentiated startle, i.e. potentiation by a cue-specific fear manipulation, is not susceptible to benzodiazepine treatment. In contrast, effects of manipulations more akin to anxiety (darkness, context) appear sensitive to benzodiazepines. Human experimental models differentiating between these cue specific and contextual responses are needed to shed more light on differences in the anatomy and pharmacology of anxiety disorders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

et al. 2002

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“…Potentiation of fear-related defense (e.g. startle) behaviours coordinated by the amygdaloid complex and associated structures has also been demonstrated in anxious children (Waters, Lipp and Spence, 2005), children at greater risk of developing anxiety due to parental anxiety (Grillon, Dierker and Merikangas, 1998) and numerous adult populations (PTSD: ; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Kumari et al, 2001;panic disorder: Grillon et al, 1994;and individuals with subclinical levels of social anxiety: Cornwell et al, 2006;Garner et al, 2008).…”

Section: Concurrent Neuroimaging: Implications For Neuro-cognitive Momentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective Attention to Threat in Childhood Anxiety: Evidence from Visual Probe Paradigms

Garner

2010

Information Processing Biases and Anxiety

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The efficiency of the attention system mediates individual differences in intelligence and emotional processing (Posner and Fan, 2004). An attentional system that preferentially filters and selects negative, threatening, anxiogenic information is more likely to potentiate perceptions of threat and danger; activate a range of dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and beliefs about the present and future; and, ultimately, increase an individual's vulnerability to anxiety. Furthermore, the frequent capturing of attention by threat-related stimuli is likely to frustrate ongoing goal-directed behaviour (Eysenck, 1992).In recent years, there has been considerable research into attentional processes thought to characterize anxiety. Much of this has focused on developing a range of experimental paradigms that clarify biases in specific components/aspects of attention, that is, preferential selection of certain stimuli (over others) due to combinations of low-level perceptual, semantic, motivational or higher level (task relevant) attributes that render some stimuli more salient than others. This chapter discusses recent conceptual advances in our understanding of attention and its component processes, with specific reference to the application of visual probe tasks (and variants) to examine biases in selective attention in anxious children and adolescents. Attentional Bias in Anxiety: Predictions from Cognitive ModelsCognitive (information processing) models of anxiety emphasize the role of attention in the aetiology and maintenance of anxiety, but differ with respect Information Processing Biases and Anxiety: A Developmental Perspective Edited by J. A. Hadwin and A. P. Field

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“…In fact, the ASR may be increased in subjects suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders (Morgan et al, 1996;Shalev et al, 2000) and during anticipatory anxiety (Grillon et al, 1991) and in several classes of anxiety disorders (Jetty et al, 2001;Kumari et al, 2001). Use of both tests, as in the present study, provides a more complete analysis of the behavioral state to both proximal and distal threats produced by 48-h steroid exposure (Rodgers, 1997).…”

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confidence: 99%

Anxiogenic Effects of Neurosteroid Exposure: Sex Differences and Altered GABA_A Receptor Pharmacology in Adult Rats

Gulinello¹,

Smith²

2003

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

109

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Acute exposure to progesterone or its neurosteroid derivative allopregnanolone (3␣,5␣-THP) is anxiolytic, consistent with the GABA modulatory effects of 3␣,5␣-THP at the GABA A receptor. However, continuous exposure to progesterone increases anxiety in association with increased expression of the benzodiazepine-insensitive GABA A receptor ␣4 subunit. Furthermore, negative mood symptoms and altered GABA A receptor pharmacology in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder occur in the early luteal phase in association with peak circulating levels of progesterone and 3␣,5␣-THP. Because sex differences have been reported in steroid-regulated anxiety responses, the present study investigated the role of sex and development in the regulation of anxiety after short-term exposure to 3␣,5␣-THP. To this end, we compared the effects of hormone administration in adult male, adult female, and juvenile female rats. Increased anxiety in the elevated plus maze was evident in all groups after 48-h exposure to either 3␣,5␣-THP or progesterone. At this time point, alterations in the anxiolytic profile of benzodiazepine agonists and antagonists were also observed in both adult males and females in the elevated plus maze. However, sex differences in the acoustic startle response were observed after short-term hormone treatment such that only female rats displayed an increased response indicative of higher anxiety levels. These results suggest that although neurosteroid exposure may influence both the pharmacological properties of the GABA A receptor and the manifestation of anxiety in both sexes, the effects of neurosteroids may be modulated in a sex-and task-specific manner.

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Enhanced Startle Reactions to Acoustic Stimuli in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract: Patients with OCD were excessively responsive to startle-eliciting stimuli. This effect may be associated with the development or maintenance of OCD.

Cited by 70 publications

References 9 publications

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

Selective Attention to Threat in Childhood Anxiety: Evidence from Visual Probe Paradigms

Anxiogenic Effects of Neurosteroid Exposure: Sex Differences and Altered GABA_A Receptor Pharmacology in Adult Rats

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Enhanced Startle Reactions to Acoustic Stimuli in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract: Patients with OCD were excessively responsive to startle-eliciting stimuli. This effect may be associated with the development or maintenance of OCD.

Cited by 70 publications

References 9 publications

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

Benzodiazepines have no effect on fear-potentiated startle in humans

Selective Attention to Threat in Childhood Anxiety: Evidence from Visual Probe Paradigms

Anxiogenic Effects of Neurosteroid Exposure: Sex Differences and Altered GABAA Receptor Pharmacology in Adult Rats

Contact Info

Product

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Anxiogenic Effects of Neurosteroid Exposure: Sex Differences and Altered GABA_A Receptor Pharmacology in Adult Rats