The authors administered infusions of lactate intravenously to seven
patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, six of
whom also met DSM-III criteria for panic disorder. The lactate infusions
resulted in flashbacks in all seven patients and panic attacks in six
patients. The authors conclude that with further development intravenous
lactate infusion may be used to study flashbacks and other dissociative
phenomena and to determine the relationship between flashbacks and panic
anxiety.Abstract Teaser