Patients’ characteristics and their influence on course of fear during agoraphobic symptom provocation: may SS(N)RI treatment compensate unfavorable individual preconditions?

Abstract

Background: Patients’ characteristics and antidepressants are discussed to be relevant in the context of phobic exposure.Aims: To identify patients characteristics associated with a differential course of fear during disorder-specific symptom provocation as well as to elucidate the effect of selective serotonin-(noradrenalin-) reuptake inhibitors [SS(N)RI] on development of fear in the context of re-exposure to the phobic stimuli.Methods: Twenty-eight clinically well-characterized patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia (PD/AG) were classified into subjects who show a reduction of fear (‘Fear−’) during a symptom provocation via a picture-based paradigm (T1) and those who did not (‘Fear+’). Subsequently, SS(N)RI treatment was administered to all patients and subjects were re-exposed to the feared stimuli after 8 weeks of treatment (T2). Moreover, brain activity within the ‘fear network’ was measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at T1 and T2.Results: Fear − were significantly younger and demonstrated increased exposure-related fear as well as stronger activity in several fear-related brain areas than Fear+. We found significant improvements in all clinical parameters after pharmacological intervention for the whole sample (T1–T2; all measures p < .02). However, reduction of fear as well as activation in (para)limbic structures during symptom provocation were now attenuated in Fear − but increased in Fear+.Conclusions: Advanced age may predict a therapeutically unfavorable course of fear during agoraphobic symptom provocation. Since we found no negative impact of medication on fear development at all, there was some evidence that SS(N)RI treatment might improve the individual ability to get involved with the agoraphobic stimuli while conducting disorder-specific exposure.