TY - JOUR
T1 - Autonomic characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder and worry
AU - Thayer, Julian F.
AU - Friedman, Bruce H.
AU - Borkovec, Thomas D.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was conducted at the Stress and Anxiety Disorders Institute, Penn State University. Portions of this research were presented at the 1993 meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, and the Society for PsychophysiologicalR esearch. Research was supported in part by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant AA-07352 (JFr). National Institute of Health Training Grant HL-07560 (BHF), National Institute of Mental Health Research Grant MH-39172 (TDB), and a Fulbright Fellowship to the first author.
PY - 1996/2/15
Y1 - 1996/2/15
N2 - Autonomic characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and worry were examined using measures of heart period variability. The cardiorespiratory responses of 34 GAD clients and 32 nonanxious control subjects were recorded during resting baseline, relaxation, and worry periods. Results indicated differences between GAD subjects and controls as well as among baseline, relaxation, and worry periods. GAD clients exhibited shorter cardiac interbeat intervals (IBIs) and lower high frequency spectral power across all task conditions. Relative to baseline and relaxation conditions, worry was associated with (1) shorter IBIs, (2) smaller mean successive differences (MSD) of the cardiac IBIs, and (3) lower high frequency spectral power. These findings suggest that GAD and its cardinal feature (worry), are associated with lower cardiac vagal control. The findings of the present study provide evidence for the utility of further exploration of the role of autonomic nervous system activity in GAD.
AB - Autonomic characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and worry were examined using measures of heart period variability. The cardiorespiratory responses of 34 GAD clients and 32 nonanxious control subjects were recorded during resting baseline, relaxation, and worry periods. Results indicated differences between GAD subjects and controls as well as among baseline, relaxation, and worry periods. GAD clients exhibited shorter cardiac interbeat intervals (IBIs) and lower high frequency spectral power across all task conditions. Relative to baseline and relaxation conditions, worry was associated with (1) shorter IBIs, (2) smaller mean successive differences (MSD) of the cardiac IBIs, and (3) lower high frequency spectral power. These findings suggest that GAD and its cardinal feature (worry), are associated with lower cardiac vagal control. The findings of the present study provide evidence for the utility of further exploration of the role of autonomic nervous system activity in GAD.
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U2 - 10.1016/0006-3223(95)00136-0
DO - 10.1016/0006-3223(95)00136-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 8645772
AN - SCOPUS:0030002473
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 39
SP - 255
EP - 266
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -