EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE-FACTORS CONNECTED WITH RESPONSE TO CHOLECYSTOKININ TETRAPEPTIDE IN HEALTHY-VOLUNTEERS

This article examines the effect of baseline anxiety, anxiety sensitiv ity and dysfunctional attitudes on the response to cholecystokinin tet rapeptide (CCK-4) in healthy volunteers. CCK-4 and placebo were admini stered to 14 subjects in a double-blind manner. Four volunteers experi enced a panic attack after CCK-4 administration. Those subjects who pa nicked had significantly higher baseline scores on dysfunctional attit udes. Dysfunctional thought patterns appeared also to predict number o f symptoms and experience of cognitive and affective symptoms during i njection. Baseline anxiety as well as anxiety sensitivity predicted re actions to placebo but not panic responses to CCK-4. Results suggest t hat a general tendency towards erroneous interpretation of information has some role in mediating the panicogenic effects of CCK-4, and also interpersonal sensitivity may constitute a vulnerability factor for p anic. Psychological factors that have been considered more specific to panic disorder, namely high state and trait anxiety as well as anxiet y sensitivity, appeared mainly to determine general reactions to a thr eatening situation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.