Projects:fMRIAnalysisAnxietyDisorder

Main hypotheses: 1. variants of candidate genes predict different fMRI activation patterns in selected brain regions in patients vs. controls when processing threatening stimuli 2. combination of autonomic measures, fMRI activation patterns and genetic variants reveal more specific subtypes of PD 3. repeated exposure to the threatening stimuli changes the fMRI pattern and possibly the electrophysiological response

Sample: 30 PD with Agoraphobia, meeting criteria of DSM-IV, recruited from the Anxiety Disorder Clinic of the CAMH 20 healthy control subjects recruited by means of a flyer

Stimuli: VR environment for panic disorder from VEPSY (www.vepsy.com www.cybertherapy.info), control stimulus VR environment for social phobia (dinner table, meeting table or similar), baseline stimulus

VEPSY: Europe based project to develop virtual reality for treatment of anxiety disorders.