Performance Anxiety and the Fight or Flight Syndrome

Performance Anxiety is perhaps the most common social fear. Also called Stage Fright, Performance Anxiety is the fear of being in front of an audience, and all of the corollaries that are associated with the condition. The condition can be almost debilitating, and is all the more devastating to a seasoned professional performer who continues to be afflicted by the situation. Although there are numerous causes as the root of Performance Anxiety in different people, a significant reason for Performance Anxiety is a behavioral pattern that psychoanalysts call the Fight or Flight Syndrome. This syndrome is the focus of this paper. This paper identifies a number of the symptoms of Performance Anxiety along with many of the false antidotes that are suggested by friends and associates. Evidence is presented to support the realization that most audiences are not the enemy. Recommendations and a treatment plan are suggested which are designed to alleviate Performance Anxiety issues and are based on principles of behavioral modification.

Brain Mechanisms Underlying Panic Attack and Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent panic attacks,with a prevalence of~4%in the general population,causing heavy personal and socioeconomic burdens.The similarities of animal defense responses to clinical panic attack symptoms in humans make it possible to translate neuroanatomical pathways identified in animal studies to panic disorder in humans.Therefore,in this review we first present a basic overview of panic disorder in humans including the main subtypes,models commonly used to trigger panic attacks,related hypotheses,the neurotransmitter systems that may be involved,and the current clinical treatments to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of panic disorder.The animal section introduces the models that trigger panic-like behavior in animals and the brain regions that may be involved,providing insights for future elucidation of the neural circuit mechanisms behind panic attacks.

Effect of Zuogui Pill(左归丸) on Monoamine Neurotransmitters and Sex Hormones in Climacteric Rats with Panic Attack

Objective： To explore the effects of Chinese medicine prescription Zuogui Pill（左归丸, ZGP） on monoamine neurotransmitters and sex hormones in climacteric rats with induced panic attacks. Methods： Forty-eight climacteric female rats were randomized into 6 groups with 8 rats in each group： the control group, the model group, the low-, medium- and high-dose ZGP groups and the alprazolam group. Rats in the low-, medium- and high-dose ZGP groups were administered 4.725, 9.45, or 18.9 g/kg ZGP by gastric perfusion, respectively. The alprazolam group was treated by gastric perfusion with 0.036 mg/kg alprazolam. The control and model groups were treated with distilled water. The animals were pretreated once daily for 8 consecutive weeks. The behaviors of rats in the open field test and the elevated T-maze（ETM） were observed after induced panic attack, and the levels of brain monoamine neurotransmitters and the plasma levels of sex hormones were measured. Results： Compared with the control group, the mean ETM escape time and the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine（5-HT） and noradrenalin（NE） of the model group were significantly reduced（P〈0.05）, Compared with the model group, the mean ETM escape time and the 5-HT and NE levels of all the ZGP groups increased significantly（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. However, no significant difference was observed in the levels of sex hormones between the groups. Conclusion： Pretreatment with ZGP in climacteric rats may improve the behavior of panic attack, which may be related to increased 5-HT and NE in the brain.