Experiencing panic attacks is one of the most frightening feelings for some people. It is a sudden episode of intense fear triggered by no real danger or ordinary events. When panic attacks occur you may experience a range of physical symptoms like a rcing heart, fast breathing and sweating and feel like you are losing control or having a heart attack. Many people can experience it once or twice but if it occurs recurrently and unexpectedly then this condition is called panic disorder. In this blog, you can learn what happens in the brain during a panic attack, leading to various symptoms. During panic attacks, the brain activates and releases stress hormones, triggering several physical symptoms and a feeling of intense fear. Understanding brain activities during panic attacks not only helps you manage but also can help your loved one experiencing panic attacks.
Also Read: How Long Does Depression Treatment in Siliguri Take to Show Results?
Let’s Understand What a Panic Attack Is
A panic attack involves sudden, temporary feelings of fear and strong physical reactions in response to normal and nonthreatening situations. This is a mental health disorder that often causes both psychological and physical symptoms. It may increase your fear when the next attack happens. This condition can cause you to panic over something that is not a big deal for someone else. With panic disorder, people are most likely to experience panic attacks repeatedly. These episodes of attacks can happen suddenly and without provocation, unlike anxiety attacks caused by a stressor. However, panic attacks can occur with other mental health disorders, such as:
- Anxiety Disorder: This is a group of mental health conditions that can lead to fear, dread, and other symptoms that are out of proportion to the situation. With anxiety disorder, you may experience physical signs of anxiety, like a pounding heart and sweating, feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness, uncontrollable thoughts, making it harder for you to get through the day.
- Mood Disorder:A mood disorder is also a mental health condition that primarily interferes with your emotional state. This condition can lead you to experience a long period of extreme happiness, extreme sadness or both. Mood disorders can also include depression, bipolar disorder and other types of mental health conditions. Mood disorder symptoms affect your mood, sleep, eating behaviour, energy level and thinking abilities, making it difficult for you to complete ordinary tasks.
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PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder): This mental health condition also leads to panic attacks by keeping the nervous system in a state of hyperarousal, making the brain overactive. Triggered by trauma memories, flashbacks or reminders, these attacks result from intense fear, leading to physical symptoms like rapid heart rate, dizziness and choking sensation. Take professional help to understand the difference between sadness and depression for better management.
Learn What Happens in the Brain During Panic Attacks
In mental health conditions brain plays a significant role in how you will respond to certain situations. During panic attacks, the fear centre of the brain, the amygdala, becomes hyperactive, which triggers a false fight or flight alarm leading to the release of a surge of adrenaline, causing a rapid heart rate, difficulties in breathing and intense dread. Likewise, the prefrontal cortex, which is a part of the brain responsible for rational thought, shows decreased activity, making it difficult for you to think clearly during panic attacks. It happens when the person prepares to face a non-existent threat, leading to various physical symptoms.
Major Brain Regions and Activities During a Panic Attack
- Hyperactive Amygdala:The amygdala is an almond-shaped part of the brain that is the emotional and fear centre. During panic attacks, this becomes hyperactive, leading to an amygdala hijack by perceiving danger that does not exist. This results in triggering an immediate fight or flight response, leading to increased release of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and activating the sympathetic nervous system. This results in experiencing a racing heart, shortness of breath, and sweating as the amygdala sends distress signals to the hypothalamus.
- Disconnection from Frontal Cortex: Located at the front of the brain, the frontal cortex is responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as decision-making, reasoning, logical thinking, personality expression, and voluntary motor control. During panic attacks, this region becomes underactive, leading to the feeling of being unable to think straight or calm down. This functional disconnection of the frontal cortex that regulates rational thought and emotions results in an overwhelming response to immediate danger that does not exist.
- Brainstem Activation: A vital structure at the base of the brain, the brain stem includes the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata, which regulates crucial life functions such as breathing, blood pressure, sleep, heart rate, and consciousness. During the bouts of panic attacks, the activities of the brainstem significantly increase. The elevated activities of the amygdala, insula and thalamus are diagnosed with functional MRI, which can lead to symptoms like rapid heart rate and breathing. This hyperactivation of the brainstem is correlated with fear of respiratory distress, such as suffocation and heart issues.
- Hormonal Release: Due to overactivation of the amygdala, it causes the adrenal glands to flood the body with stress hormones, primarily adrenaline or epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. This further intensifies the physical symptoms of the panic attacks, such as a racing heart, hypertension or high blood pressure, diziness and strong fear among the patients. Other hormones released during panic attacks include prolactin, which is elevated when the severity of the attack is correlated, hypocretin or orexin, which are elevated in higher levels.
Neurotransmitter and Panic Attacks
Neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and cortisol are the brain’s chemical messengers that are primarily responsible for modulating the brain’s response to stress, which can significantly influence your emotional and psychological states. They are the foundation for the nervous system to function properly, affecting every aspect of your life, including mood regulation, perception of stress, anxiety and the onset and experience of panic attacks.
Self-care Tips for Panic Attacks
In addition to professional treatment, you can adopt some self-care strategies to maintain panic attack symptoms, such as:
- Exercise regularly, which can help reduce anxiety by boosting mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin
- Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises to calm the mind and regulate the body’s stress response
- Follow a proper sleep schedule to aid neurotransmitter regulation, thereby reducing anxiety and panic
- Maintain a healthy and balanced diet with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and vitamin B and D to support brain health.
- Limit caffeine intake, smoking, and alcohol, as these substances can trigger panic attacks in some individuals.
Final Words
It is important to remember that when these self-management tips can be helpful in panic disorders, professional help is vital for effective management. You can consult a renowned neuro psychiatrist, Dr Sudeshna Mukherjee in Siliguri to navigate mental health disorders and receive guidance towards an optimal treatment option for your specific needs.
