The authors determined whether fear of anxiety symptoms mediates
panicogenic responses to cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK-4) in healthy
subjects. Individuals with a preexisting high level of anxiety sensitivity
(N = 10) experienced significantly more catastrophic cognitions and fear of
somatic symptoms than did subjects with low (N = 9) or medium (N = 17)
anxiety sensitivity, but they were not more susceptible to experiencing a
panic attack. Thus, cognitive factors do not appear to be critical
determinants of CCK-4-induced panic attacks.
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