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Related Concept Videos

Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
Anxiety: Overview01:18

Anxiety: Overview

Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder01:30

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid01:22

Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid

Personality disorders represent enduring cognition, affect, and behavior patterns that significantly deviate from societal norms. These maladaptive traits often lead to difficulties in various domains, including interpersonal relationships, occupational settings, and overall psychological well-being. Paranoid personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder are two distinct conditions marked by odd or eccentric behavior.
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is...
Introduction to Psychological Disorders01:19

Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Abnormal behavior, often referred to as mental illness, results from changes in brain function that influence thought patterns, behaviors, and social interactions. Psychologists and psychiatrists typically assess abnormal behavior using three primary criteria: deviance, maladaptation, and personal distress, particularly when these traits persist over long periods.
Deviant Behavior
Deviance in behavior refers to actions or thought patterns that significantly diverge from societal norms or...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder01:27

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
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A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Panic disorder: is the PAG involved?

Cristina Marta Del-Ben1, Frederico Guilherme Graeff

  • 1Psychiatry Division, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, 14048-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. delben@fmrp.usp.br

Neural Plasticity
|March 14, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Abnormalities in the midbrain, particularly the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), are linked to panic disorder (PD). While PAG stimulation causes panic symptoms, these midbrain changes are not exclusive to PD.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Midbrain structures, including the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), are implicated in the neurobiology of panic disorder (PD).
  • Electrical stimulation of the PAG in neurosurgical patients can induce panic-like symptoms.
  • Pharmacological and animal model data align with the PAG's role in PD and anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of midbrain abnormalities in the neurobiology of panic disorder.
  • To synthesize evidence from human studies, neuroimaging, and animal models regarding the PAG and PD.

Main Methods:

  • Review of human studies on panic disorder.
  • Analysis of neuroimaging data (structural and functional).
  • Consideration of data from animal models of panic disorder and anxiety.

Main Results:

  • Structural neuroimaging reveals increased gray matter volume in the midbrain and pons of PD patients.
  • Evidence suggests lower serotonin transporter and receptor binding in the midbrain of PD patients.
  • Increased midbrain metabolism is observed in PD patients, but these findings are not specific to PD.

Conclusions:

  • Midbrain abnormalities, including in the PAG, are associated with panic disorder.
  • While implicated, midbrain findings are not exclusive to PD, as other fear-processing brain structures also show abnormalities in PD patients.