BASILAR ARTERY RESPONSE TO HYPERVENTILATION IN PANIC DISORDER

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the response of ba silar artery blood flow to hyperventilation in patients with panic dis order. Method: Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography teas used to measu re basilar artery flow during vest and after hyperventilation in 16 pa tients with panic disorder and eight normal comparison subjects. The s ubjects rated their dizziness at each phase. Results: The patients wit h panic disorder demonstrated greater reduction in flow rates and grea ter increases in dizziness than the normal comparison subjects. Conclu sions: The greater basilar artery sensitivity to hyperventilation show n by panic disorder patients suggests a possible mechanism for the dev elopment of neurological symptoms during panic attacks.