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Title: Pentagastrin induced panic attacks: enhanced sensitivity in panic disorder patients. Author: van Megen HJ, Westenberg HG, den Boer JA, Haigh JR, Traub M. Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl); 1994 Apr; 114(3):449-55. PubMed ID: 7855203. Abstract: The effects of pentagastrin, a synthetic analogue of the cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK4), were studied in 15 patients with panic disorder and 15 healthy controls. Three different intravenous dosages of pentagastrin (0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 microgram/kg) and saline were investigated. Subjects were randomly allocated to two of the four treatment groups and tested on two separate occasions, 1 week apart, using an unbalanced double-blind incomplete block design. The mean panic rate with pentagastrin was 55% (12/22) for patients and 5% (1/22) for controls. None of the subjects panicked with saline. The frequency of panic attacks between the three pentagastrin doses in patients was not different. One control subject had a panic-like attack at the highest dose of pentagastrin. These findings concur with previous studies on the panicogenic effect of CCK4 and pentagastrin and suggest a greater sensitivity for CCK receptor agonists in patients suffering from panic disorder than in healthy controls.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]