In a previous study of 15 panic patients, we demonstrated that body-related (somatic) word stimuli elicited an enhanced positive cortical slow wave compared to non-somatic word stimuli. Healthy controls did not show this difference. The present paper reports on psychometric ratings in relation to cortical slow waves in these patients. Patients were clinically reexamined after about 1.5 years. Although no significant correlations between neurophysiology and psychometric measures could be found at the onset of the study, there was a significant correlation between improvement over the follow-up period and neurophysiology. A decline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), which proved to be the best estimate for improvement, was associated with the relative magnitude of the positive slow wave elicited by somatic stimuli. Our findings support cognitive models of panic disorder, which stress that abnormal processing of bodily symptoms is relevant for the development and/or maintenance of the disorder.
