Anxiety disorders, the most common psychiatric conditions in the United
States, have generated a great deal of research and scientific debate.
Panic disorder, the best-studied anxiety disorder, is often believed to be
either a biological disease or a psychological disease. The authors present
a neuroanatomical model of panic disorder that attempts to reconcile these
views. The model locates the three components of the disease--the acute
panic attack, anticipatory anxiety, and phobic avoidance--in three specific
sites of the CNS: the brainstem, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex,
respectively. The authors suggest experiments to test their model.Abstract Teaser