Abstract
Visual emotional stimulation is supposed to elicit psycho-vegetative reactions, which are similar to as the ones elicited by exposure to actual experience. Visual stimulation paradigms have been widely used in studies on agoraphobia with and without panic disorder. However, the applied imagery has hardly ever been disorder- and subject- specific.
have been examined. Subjects were confronted with 146 picture showing characteristic agoraphobic situations (high places, narrow places, crowds, public transport facilities, or wide places) or pictures associated with acute physical emergency (panic) situations, which had been pre-selected by anxiety experts. Participants were asked to rate emotional arousal induced by the respective images on the Self- Assessment Manikin scale (SAM). Data on PDA severity (PAS) depressive symptoms (MADRS) and sociodemographic data were recorded. Saliva cortisol levels were measured before and after exposure in a second test applying the individually mostly feared stimuli combined with emotionally neutral pictures for every single patient. 117 of the PDA-specific images were rated significantly more fear-eliciting by patients than by healthy individuals. Sub-categorization into agoraphobia clusters showed differential effects of clusters with regard to gender distribution, severity of PDA and cortisol secretion during exposure. In this study disorder specific and individual characteristics of agoraphobia were assessed for use in future trials applying emotional imagery. It could be used for the differential assessment of PDA and associated neurobiological and psychological phenomena and in neuroimaging paradigms.Keywords: Panic disorder and agoraphobia, phobic exposure, symptom clusters, cortisol
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title:Disorder-Specific Emotional Imagery for Differential and Quantitative Assessment of Agoraphobia
Volume: 18 Issue: 35
Author(s): Kirsten-Rita Engel, Borwin Bandelow, Charlott Neumann, Katrin Obst and Dirk Wedekind
Affiliation:
Keywords: Panic disorder and agoraphobia, phobic exposure, symptom clusters, cortisol
Abstract: Visual emotional stimulation is supposed to elicit psycho-vegetative reactions, which are similar to as the ones elicited by exposure to actual experience. Visual stimulation paradigms have been widely used in studies on agoraphobia with and without panic disorder. However, the applied imagery has hardly ever been disorder- and subject- specific.
have been examined. Subjects were confronted with 146 picture showing characteristic agoraphobic situations (high places, narrow places, crowds, public transport facilities, or wide places) or pictures associated with acute physical emergency (panic) situations, which had been pre-selected by anxiety experts. Participants were asked to rate emotional arousal induced by the respective images on the Self- Assessment Manikin scale (SAM). Data on PDA severity (PAS) depressive symptoms (MADRS) and sociodemographic data were recorded. Saliva cortisol levels were measured before and after exposure in a second test applying the individually mostly feared stimuli combined with emotionally neutral pictures for every single patient. 117 of the PDA-specific images were rated significantly more fear-eliciting by patients than by healthy individuals. Sub-categorization into agoraphobia clusters showed differential effects of clusters with regard to gender distribution, severity of PDA and cortisol secretion during exposure. In this study disorder specific and individual characteristics of agoraphobia were assessed for use in future trials applying emotional imagery. It could be used for the differential assessment of PDA and associated neurobiological and psychological phenomena and in neuroimaging paradigms.Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Engel Kirsten-Rita, Bandelow Borwin, Neumann Charlott, Obst Katrin and Wedekind Dirk, Disorder-Specific Emotional Imagery for Differential and Quantitative Assessment of Agoraphobia, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2012; 18 (35) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161212803530862
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161212803530862 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Effects of Modafinil on Cognitive Performance and Alertness During Sleep Deprivation
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Role of the Nervous System in the Regulation of Liver Cytochrome P450
Current Drug Metabolism Therapeutic Effects of Progesterone in Animal Models of Neurological Disorders
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Inflammatory Markers in Hyperlipidemia: From Experimental Models to Clinical Practice
Current Pharmaceutical Design Late Effects in Survivors of Childhood CNS Tumors: Review of Results From the Two Largest Survivorship Cooperative Groups
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Genetics and Vaccines in the Era of Personalized Medicine
Current Genomics Exploring Current Role of Nanotechnology Used in Food Processing Industry to Control Food Additives and their Biochemical Mechanisms
Current Drug Targets Pain and Child: A Translational Hypothesis on the Pathophysiology of a Mild Type-2 Diabetes Model
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Recent Advances in the Gastric Mucosal Protection Against Stress-induced Gastric Lesions. Importance of Renin-angiotensin Vasoactive Metabolites, Gaseous Mediators and Appetite Peptides
Current Pharmaceutical Design Cognitive Function and the Ageing Process: The Peculiar Role of Mild Thyroid Failure
Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Drug Discovery Cardiovascular Complications in Diabetes: Lessons from Animal Models
Current Medicinal Chemistry Preclinical Analyses of the Therapeutic Potential of Allopregnanolone to Promote Neurogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo in Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimers Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Proteomics Approach for Biomarker Research in Major Depression: Antidepressant Effects
Current Drug Metabolism Cytokine-Purine Interactions in Traumatic Stress, Behavioral Depression,and Sickness
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets A Review on CRISPR-mediated Epigenome Editing: A Future Directive for Therapeutic Management of Cancer
Current Drug Targets Uridine Function in the Central Nervous System
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Antipyretic Plants: An Updated Review
Current Bioactive Compounds Leptin, Immune Responses and Autoimmune Disease. Perspectives on the Use of Leptin Antagonists
Current Pharmaceutical Design Commentary: Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) Therapy for Patients with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases of the CNS
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets A Current Update on the Use of Alpha Lipoic Acid in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets