ANXIETY AND CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY - THE BASAL FOREBRAIN CHOLINERGIC LINK

The relations between anxiety states and autonomic functions are consi dered from the vantage of a model of the neural systems underlying anx iety and autonomic control. An important component of this model is th e involvement of the basal forebrain cortical cholinergic system that is seen to play a crucial role in the cognitive aspects of anxiety, an d the links between anxiety and autonomic regulation. An additional as pect of the model is the detailing of the routes by which autonomic re activity and associated visceral afference can modulate more rostral c omponents of the system, The proposed model offers a more comprehensiv e framework for research on the neurobiology of anxiety and autonomic control. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.