Meta-Analysis of Neuropsychological Studies in Panic Disorder Patients: Evidence of Impaired Performance during the Emotional Stroop Task

Abstract

Background: Recent investigations have highlighted significant differences in verbal recall between patients with panic disorder (PD) and controls. These studies have highlighted that verbal memory and working memory could be impaired in PD. Objectives: The objective of the present meta-analysis is to confirm this hypothesis, reviewing the studies that have investigated neurocognitive testing in PD. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search for studies published between 1980 and 2015 that reported cognitive measurements in PD patients and controls. Effect size estimates were computed using the restricted maximum likelihood model. Only case-control studies were selected for this meta-analysis. We included studies that made a direct comparison between PD subjects and healthy controls. The diagnostic group consisted of adult patients aged over 18 years diagnosed with PD. We excluded the studies that did not employ a case-control design. All statistical analyses were carried out on R using the “metafor” package version 1.9-8. The effect size for each study neuropsychological test was calculated using the mean and SD of performance results, and p values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: We identified few studies that tested verbal memory and executive functions in PD patients and controls, and this difference was not significant. On the other hand, there are several studies that have used the emotional Stroop task to assess cognitive functions in PD. There is no robust evidence of impairment of memory function in PD; however, when considering the emotional Stroop task, it was found that PD patients performed slower (p < 0.01) than healthy controls for all three types of stimuli (neutral, negative, positive). Conclusion: This meta-analysis included a small number of studies, which may have introduced bias into the analysis. However, there is some evidence of impairment of neurocognitive functions in PD when performing the emotional Stroop task. Furthermore, the paucity of studies evaluating neurocognition in PD suggests the need for further research in this field in order to draw meaningful conclusions.

Cognitive functions and childhood traumas in panic disorder

“…PCBT performance evaluating visuospatial memory of PD patients were found to be similar to those of healthy individuals. In a meta-analysis study, it was reported that while there was some evidence of neurocognitive impairment in PD, further study was needed to draw meaningful conclusions (40). It has been reported that the PCBT performance of PD patients was lower than that of healthy controls and that the visuospatial working memory learning process was poor (9,41).…”

Anxiety disorders and executive functions: A three-level meta-analysis of reaction time and accuracy

“…Manual searches were conducted in Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Psychiatry Research, and Google Scholar. To supplement these searches, we examined the reference sections of previous reviews related to anxiety disorders and EF (e.g., Harber et al, 2019;Lipszyc & Schachar, 2010). Additionally, a manual search was conducted in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses to capture unpublished literature.…”

Psychosocial factors of the neurotic disorders treatment and prevention in metropolis

“…Сенситивные, перфекционистские черты личности, особенности семейного воспитания, отношений со сверстниками, необходимость поддержания высокого темпа деятельности в мегаполисах, недостаточная толерантность к стрессу и к высокой конкуренции способствуют формированию тревожных расстройств. Паническое расстройство (эпизодическая пароксизмальная тревога) -одно из наиболее распространенных пограничных психических заболеваний, характеризующиеся рецидивирующие приступы резко выраженной тревоги (паники), не связанные с какими-либо специфическими ситуациями или предметами, а, следовательно, непредсказуемыми и спонтанными [8, 26,32]. Частота его встречаемости среди городского населения составляет 7-12%, однако далеко не все пациенты обращаются за медицинской помощью.…”