The brain decade in debate: II. Panic or anxiety? From animal models to a neurobiological basis

This article is a transcription of an electronic symposium sponsored by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior(SBNeC). invited researchers from the European Union, North America and Brazil discussed two issues on anxiety. namely whether panic is a very intense anxiety or something else. and what aspects of clinical anxiety are reproduced by animal models. Conce rning the first issue, most participants agreed that generalized anxiety an d panic disorder are different on the basis of clinical manifestations. dru g response and animal models. Also. underlying brain structures, neurotrans mitter modulation and hormonal changes seem to involve important difference s. It is also common knowledge that existing animal models generate differe nt types of fear/anxiety. A challenge for future re search is to establish a good correlation between animal models and nosological classification.