A nonhuman primate model of panic disorder

Abstract In this article we report on the reliable production of several features of panic attacks following subcutaneous administration of sodium lactate to nonhuman primates. Unrestrained monkeys were evaluated by an observer without knowledge of the subjects' treatment with either sodium lactate or a dextrose control solution. The lactate produced temporally circumscribed episodes of agitation, wariness, and motor responses, normally elicited under stressful or threatening conditions. In an initial pharmacological intervention, we found that pretreatment with imipramine blocked the response to lactate. The further development of this model offers promise for the systematic examination of etiological factors in susceptibility to lactate induction of panic attacks, the physiological basis of the response, and new modes of treatment of panic disorder.