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Implicit and explicit memory for catastrophic associations to bodily sensation words in panic disorder

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Abstract

This study investigated explicit (cued recall) and implicit memory (word completion) memory bias for catastrophic associations among individuals with panic disorder (n=24), clinician controls (n=24), and normal controls (n=24). Compared to both control groups, the panic disorder group showed biased explicit and implicit memory for catastrophic associations to bodily sensation words (e.g., palpitation-coronary) compared to positive (e.g., smiles-elation) and neutral (e.g., groceries-coupons) word pairs of equal relatedness. These results support cognitive formulations of panic disorder which suggest that individuals with panic disorder have biased memory for

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This research was supported by a Faculty Development Award to the first author, by NIMH grants MH42430 and MH5964-02 to the second author, and by a University of Toronto New Staff Grant to the fourth author. The authors thank Jane Levitan, Diane Sholomskas, and Tim Brown for their help in recruiting subjects. We would like to thank all the clinicians from the various sites of the MultiCenter Comparative Treatment Study of Panic Disorder and the individuals with panic disorder who participated in the study.

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Coitre, M., Shear, M.K., Cancienne, J. et al. Implicit and explicit memory for catastrophic associations to bodily sensation words in panic disorder. Cogn Ther Res 18, 225–240 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357777

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