What happens in the brain when we experience a panic attack?
—Davide Razzoli, Italy
Paul Li, a lecturer of cognitive science at the University of California, Berkeley, explains: Before going onstage to give a presentation, you notice your breathing becomes heavy, your hands tremble and you feel faint. Though frightening, these symptoms are not life-threatening; rather they are indicative of a panic attack.
We know a fair amount about the physiology of a panic attack, but we have only recently started to understand how it affects our brain chemistry. Panic attacks are episodes of intense fear or apprehension. Sufferers often report thinking that they might be dying, choking or going crazy. They may also feel like they are experiencing a heart attack or about to black out. These episodes usually begin abruptly, reach their peak within 10 minutes and end within half an hour.
When people feel stressed, their sympathetic nervous system typically revs up, releasing energy and preparing the body for action. Then the parasympathetic nervous system steps in, and the body stabilizes to a calmer state. If the parasympathetic nervous system is somehow unable to do its job, a person will remain fired up and may experience the heightened arousal characteristic of a panic attack.
Recently researchers have identified certain regions of the brain that become hyperactive during a panic attack. These regions include the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain, and parts of the midbrain that control a range of functions, including our experience of pain. A study performed by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging at University College London used functional MRI to locate which specific brain regions kick in when a person senses an imminent threat. They found activity in an area of the midbrain called the periaqueductal gray, a region that provokes the body’s defensive responses, such as freezing or running. Dean Mobbs, the lead author on the study, wrote: “When our defense mechanisms malfunction, this may result in an overexaggeration of the threat, leading to increased anxiety and, in extreme cases, panic.”
By identifying brain regions involved in panic attacks, such studies can improve our understanding of anxiety-related disorders and in turn help researchers find better treatments.
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Add CommentMany major military battles,both Ancient and Modern, were lost because of the PANIC of the military leaders of one side and/or their men. For example at the ancient Medieval Battle of Crecy, English King Edward III defeated a much larger French force because of the panic of the French forces. Edward III's son, also, defeated a much larger French force at the Battle of Poitier. The modern military doctrine of "Shock and Awe" is fundamentally based upon the concept of causing PANIC amongst the military leaders and their men, political leaders, and those that support the same.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact that an august publication would describe a mild anxiety attack in its first paragraph and call it a panic attack shows just how little the experts still know about these disorders. It's akin to describing a head-cold and calling it avian flu: People just aren't going to take it too seriously or understand why it is so debilitating.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a male, 25-year sufferer of anxiety and panic disorders I don't use the term "panic" until my symptoms cause anything less than my seeking out the nearest Emergency Department/Hospital, phoning 911 or laying down in public places begging & screaming at strangers to assist me. Imagine the panic of a drowning person once they've lost all their social niceties and unthinkingly drag their would-be rescuers underwater.
The DSM has about a dozen symptoms to diagnose panic disorder and those symptoms (from personal experience) can be experienced at varying intensities. "Breathing becom[ing] heavy, ... hands trembl[ing] and ... feel[ing] faint", rank about one on a scale of ten as to the descriptive intensities.
Heavy breathing? How about rapid shallow breathing and the inability to sleep because you're convinced your autonomic breathing has ceased to function properly? You can prove it's not working by patiently waiting for a natural breath to occur, which never happens. Of course you don't realize you've saturated your blood with oxygen through hyperventilation and you could probably hold your breath for 30 minutes and this is the reason your body doesn't draw a breath for more a minute or longer - far too long for your panicked mind to wait.
Feeling Faint? How about unable to stand because of the profoundly disorientating dizziness you feel? I've even passed out from the stress and sweated so profusely that I left a completely sweat-soaked imprint of my body through my clothes on a concrete floor except the area covered by my work boots.
With descriptions like your opening paragraph it's no wonder laymen often comment, "You gotta just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get over it."
As a sufferer myself I understand your position. However, and this is important, they are describing a panic attack, not disorders associated with them as a whole. A panic attack, in and of itself, is not necessarily a pathological state and does not become pathological until the parts of the brain responsible for "sounding the all clear" fail on a regular basis. One can have a panic attack without having any kind of anxiety disorder. Therefore their description is not misinformation of any kind, simply a dispassionate description of the fight or flight response. You will note that they do allude to the fact that malfunctions of this circuitry can lead to mental illness. That should be your first hint they are not attempting to belittle sufferers of anxiety disorder.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs for your position that scientist who study this sort of thing have no experience with it? Well, that is most certainly true of many of them, but it is also worth pointing out that many individuals who work in mental health do so because of a personal connection with it. My own navy doctor who's name I cannot mention confided in me of a life long struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks. I was very lucky to get him as he kept the usual tactics employed against service members with these disabilities from coming into play in my case. He took orders to Iraq and Afghanistan to help the military members over there deal with PTSD, and as much as I miss him he's just the sort of doctor they need over there.
My point here, is that you are letting your personal experience in the matter color your perception of what the goal of this article even is. It's not to belittle sufferers of a particularly nasty illness. It's to provide information about work, that is long overdue, on how the brain reacts to high stress situations both when it is working correctly and when it is not. This kind of research has already led to treatments for people like you and me that are new. Read up on some of Ledaux's work if you don't believe me.
I do deeply sympathize with your feelings and position here, and you certainly should be taken seriously after what you've sacrificed for your nation, but in this particular instance I believe you are in the wrong.
I understand the goal of the article and I appreciate the attention to the disease.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy objection is to its opening paragraph. The average person is going to read it and confirm in their mind that a panic attack is nothing more than sweaty palms and an upset stomach, and not bother to read the entire article.
I didn't say NO ONE in the field understood, I'm saying "on the whole." My 16 year naval career was ended because of panic disorder and I was medically discharged not retired. Maybe that's why I'm sensitive to the weak characterization here.
In your opinion E-boy (or anyone) would you call the description in the first paragraph a panic attack or an anxiety attack?
Also, we both know the social ramifications of the illness itself and the different ramifications of admitting to having the illness. I commend you for "coming out." So please realize I am discussing, not arguing with you. (I often come across badly online)
I would not call what is described in the first paragraph as a panic attack. I wouldn't even call it an anxiety "attack" either.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnxiety before a presentation is predictable, and by how it is reported (it's really not much to go on) I'd say the person was experiencing medium, to medium high (because of feeling faint), anxiety.
"A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason"
"it occurs suddenly, without any warning and without any way to stop it"
http://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety/panic-disorder.aspx#
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Brain is directly linked with the Heart. While at the event of stress it affecting to the heart and get collided with the full function of the blood system. The fact that should be identified why the stress has been created. The fact should be miss-function to get rid of the brain function as it has a full chemicle process.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a child I experienced a totally unnecessary, life-threatening, panic attack. As soon as it passed, I realized that it had been completely counter-productive and illogical. I managed to live out the rest of my life without ever having another one, until in my 60s it started happening to me again.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven as the most recent panic attacks were happening I knew that they lacked a logical basis, but having an intellectual awareness of what was going on is no longer sufficient to prevent the panic response. I am embarrassed by being dominated by my emotions, but remain at the mercy of an apparently uncontrollable, and illogical, response. I now live in fear of the next time that I will become inappropriately frightened out of my wits.
I believe the English victory is attributable more to modern weaponry being applied very ably, rather than to their having caused an emotional response among the attacking forces. The eventual French decision to withdraw came about after they had suffered huge and totally unproductive casualties, and when it became apparent that they would not carry the field, regardless of how much personal bravery they displayed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Battle of Crecy was a case of superior technology being applied in an appropriate tactical manner that did not allow the attacking forces to use their more primitive technology to good effect.
I'm with Desert Navy. At the age of 57 I developed a panic disorder after breaking my pelvis. I either developed serotonin syndrome from two prescription medications which can causes this, or I had a sudden onset of intense panic disorder. I didn't sleep for nearly two weeks, I was hospitalized after admitting I was contemplating suicide, and suffered the most soul destroying terror constantly for six months. Two and a half years later I still cannot get through a day without a flash of fear or two that occurs for no discernible reason. Until I lived through this I had no idea what it meant to live with constant panic. Every waking second was spent overwhelmed with fear that would have made sense if someone was trying to nail me in a coffin and lower me into the grave alive! Not enough research has been done into the chemical basis for panic. And, in fact, a recent study showed that only a small percentage of doctors were even familiar with serotonin syndrome. I was often treated with contempt by doctors when attempting to explain my symptoms. My opinion of the medical profession dropped from not too high to zero. ANY statement that equates panic attacks to the nervous butterflies that almost everyone experiences from public speaking DOES do a disservice to the many serious sufferers. It is estimated that nearly 20% of people with panic disorders will attempt suicide. These lightweight articles do nothing to increase the understanding of doctors or the general public.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou guys seem to be too caught up with the first paragraph that you seem to overlook the second. I give you credit that maybe it was a little bit too general that it may not capture people like you on the other extreme. There are different degrees of panic attacks as with other illnesses. Despite what you called "lightweight", the author answered the reader's question and only had about 500 words to do it in this section.
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