Infrequent occurrence of EEG abnormalities in panic disorder.

EEG abnormalities have been frequently reported in patients with panic disorder, although controlled studies are lacking. The authors examined the EEGs of 35 consecutively evaluated, medication-free patients with panic disorder and found that only five (14%) had nonspecific abnormal EEGs and none displayed EEG evidence supportive of an ictal process. The presence or absence of EEG abnormalities was not significantly associated with the presence or absence of psychosensory symptoms. Although it is not likely that panic disorder is an epileptiform disorder, temporal lobe and limbic structures probably play a major role in the pathophysiology of panic.