PANIC DISORDER (PD) AND ITS COMPLICATION AGORAPHOBIA ARE AMONG THE EIGHT MOST COMMON PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN THIS COUNTRY.

PANIC DISORDER (PD) AND ITS COMPLICATION AGORAPHOBIA ARE AMONG THE EIGHT MOST COMMON PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN THIS COUNTRY. AT PRESENT, NO OBJECTIVE LABORATORY TESTS EXIST TOASSIST THE CLINICIAN IN MAKING THIS DIAGNOSIS. THERE IS NOWSUBSTANTIAL EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE THAT THE ACUTE ANXIETY ATTACK (ALSO KNOWN AS A PANIC ATTACK) IS ACCOMPANIED BY PRECIPITOUS AND MARKED PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES, PRINCIPALLY CARDIAC AND RESPIRATORY. AMBULATORY MONITORING WILL EXTEND ITS ACQUIRED EXPERTISE IN THE LABORATORY ASSESSMENT OF PANICATTACKS INTO THE AMBULATORY, REAL-LIFE SETTING. THIS CAN BEACCOMPLISHED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF PORTABLE, NONINVASIVE INSTRUMENTATION AND DATA ANALYSIS METHODS TO ALLOW THE PRECISE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGIC CONCOMITANTS OF ACUTE, IN VIVO PANIC ATTACKS. PHASE I HAS THREE GOALS: (1) DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE MONITOR TO COLLECT PHYSIOLOGICDATA; (2) DEMONSTRATION THAT PATIENTS CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEMOTE PANIC ATTACKS USING AN EVENT MARKER ON THE MONITOR AND THAT THE PHYSIOLOGIC DATA COLLECTED CAN RELIABLY BE ACCESSED FROM THIS MONITOR; AND (3) GATHERING OF PRELIMINARYEVIDENCE THAT SUBSTANTIAL AND QUANTIFIABLE PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES OCCUR DURING NATURALLY OCCURRING PANIC ATTACKS. PHASE II WILL USE THE INSTRUMENTATION AND DATA ROUTINES TO ESTABLISH A DEFINITIVE PATTERN OF PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES THAT ACCOMPANY A PANIC ATTACK BY STUDYING A LARGE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER OR AGORAPHOBIA WITH PANIC ATTACKS. RESEARCHERS HOPE TO IDENTIFY AN UNAMBIGUOUS OBJECTIVE PHYSIOLOGIC MARKER OR MARKERS FOR THE PANIC ATTACKTHAT WILL ASSIST CLINICIANS IN MAKING MORE ACCURATE DIAGNOSES.