Abstract

LANDEIRA-FERNANDEZ, Jesus; CRUZ, Antonio Pedro de Mello  and  BRANDAO, Marcus Lira. Distinct patterns of freezing behavior associated with different anxiety disorders. Psicol. USP [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.4, pp. 175-192. ISSN 1678-5177.

Although anxiety disorders are exclusive to humans, it is possible to find correlation between these disorders and defensive responses that animals present when facing dangerous situations. The present article presents a series of evidence that indicate that different freezing defensive patterns might be associated with specific anxiety disorders. Particularly, there is an excellent isomorphism between freeing response to contextual stimuli associated with electrical shocks and generalized anxiety disorder. Much evidence also shows that freezing response triggered directly through the electrical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter (dPAG) is an excellent animal model of panic attack. Moreover, freezing response observed after the interruption of the electrical stimulation of the dPAG which triggers an escape response seems to be associated with panic disorder. Finally, it is hypothesized that freezing to contextual stimuli previously associated with intense electrical stimulation of the dPAG might be related to panic disorder with agoraphobia.

Keywords : Animal models of anxiety; Freezing response; Generalized anxiety disorder; Panic disorder without agoraphobia; Panic disorder with agoraphobia.

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