Interoceptive Accuracy in Nonclinical Panic

The psychological models of panic disorder predict that people with this anxiety disorder are able to accurately estimate changes in somatic sensations. This study investigated whether nonclinical panickers, at risk for developing panic disorder, demonstrate enhanced interoceptive ability for changes in sympathetic arousal. Twenty people with nonclinical panic and 36 nonpanic controls estimated changes in overall sympathetic arousal, as measured by pulse transit time. A greater proportion of the nonclinical panickers than nonpanic controls met criterion for accurate interoceptive ability. As a group, nonclinical panickers also demonstrated more accurate perception of sympathetic arousal but only when it changed in predictable ways. Anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety also appeared related to enhanced interoception, particularly in people who had experienced nonclinical panic. People who are at risk for the development of panic disorder may therefore demonstrate enhanced interoceptive ability for sympathetic arousal.