Key result
Threat cues signaling respiratory distress elicited significant startle potentiation, enhanced skin conductance, heightened corrugator EMG changes, and fear bradycardia compared to safe cues.
Why the study?
Does the threat of respiratory distress activate defensive reflex reactions in participants?
Does the threat of respiratory distress activate defensive reflex reactions in participants?
Anticipating respiratory resistance activates defensive physiological responses, including fear bradycardia, which may relate to panic and anxiety disorder symptomatology.
May inform panic and anxiety mechanisms via defensive reflexes; hypothesis-generating and requires clinical validation.
The current study examined emotional reflex reactions of participants threatened with respiratory distress caused by imposing a resistive load at inspiration. Cues signaling threat (breathing MAY be difficult) and safe periods were intermixed while startle reflexes, heart rate, skin conductance, and facial EMG activity were measured. Compared to safe cues, threat cues elicited significant startle potentiation, enhanced skin conductance, heightened corrugator EMG changes, and pronounced "fear bradycardia" consistent with defensive activation in the context of threatened respiratory dysfunction. These data indicate that anticipating respiratory resistance activates defensive responding, which may mediate symptomatology in patients with panic and other anxiety disorders.
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Lang et al. (2010) studied this question. Cues signaling threat of respiratory distress vs. Safe cues was evaluated on Emotional reflex reactions (startle reflexes, heart rate, skin conductance, facial EMG activity). Threat cues signaling respiratory distress elicited significant startle potentiation, enhanced skin conductance, heightened corrugator EMG changes, and fear bradycardia compared to safe cues.
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