Neurocircuitry of anxiety disorders

Abstract

A major focus in the field of anxiety in the past decade, and an area of intense ongoing interest, is the delineation of the basic neurocircuitry underlying normal and pathologic anxiety. Preclinical work defining the basic neurocircuitry responsible for fear responding has fueled neuroimaging investigations attempting to model the neurocircuitry of the anxiety disorders. Herewith, the authors review neuroimaging findings contributing to the development and refinement of neuroanatomic models for post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.