Background
Spontaneous or unexpected panic attacks, per definition, occur “out of the blue,”
in the absence of cues or triggers. Accordingly, physiological arousal or instability
should occur at the onset of, or during, the attack, but not preceding it. To test
this hypothesis, we examined if points of significant autonomic changes preceded the
onset of spontaneous panic attacks.
Methods
Forty-three panic disorder patients underwent repeated 24-hour ambulatory monitoring.
Thirteen natural panic attacks were recorded during 1960 hours of monitoring. Minute-by-minute
epochs beginning 60 minutes before and continuing to 10 minutes after the onset of
individual attacks were examined for respiration, heart rate, and skin conductance
level. Measures were controlled for physical activity and vocalization and compared
with time matched control periods within the same person.
Results
Significant patterns of instability across a number of autonomic and respiratory variables
were detected as early as 47 minutes before panic onset. The final minutes before
onset were dominated by respiratory changes, with significant decreases in tidal volume
followed by abrupt carbon dioxide partial pressure increases. Panic attack onset was
characterized by heart rate and tidal volume increases and a drop in carbon dioxide
partial pressure. Symptom report was consistent with these changes. Skin conductance
levels were generally elevated in the hour before, and during, the attacks. Changes
in the matched control periods were largely absent.
Conclusions
Significant autonomic irregularities preceded the onset of attacks that were reported
as abrupt and unexpected. The findings invite reconsideration of the current diagnostic
distinction between uncued and cued panic attacks.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 25, 2011
Accepted:
May 20,
2011
Received in revised form:
May 20,
2011
Received:
March 29,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
