Background: Advances in our understanding of the anxiety disorders and
in the application of evolutionary principles to medicine provide the
possible basis for a neuro-evolutionary approach to these conditions.
In this paper, initial steps taken towards such an approach are descr
ibed. Methods: Neuro-evolutionary accounts of each of the anxiety diso
rders have been offered. Notably, several of these accounts have sugge
sted that particular anxiety disorders are mediated by specific brain-
based false alarms. This paper reviews the strengths and weaknesses of
such accounts. Results: The false suffocation alarm of panic attack i
s the most fully elaborated of the neuro-evolutionary accounts of an a
nxiety disorder. However, viable neuro-evolutionary approaches have al
so been offered for other anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compuls
ive disorder and social phobia. Conclusions: Further work is necessary
to consolidate a neuro-evolutionary approach to the anxiety disorders
. Although the theoretical basis for such an approach has become incre
asingly appealing over the last several years, this foundation require
s supplementation by further empirical research. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci
ence Ltd.