Memory functioning in panic disorder: A neuropsychological perspective

Subjects with panic disorder and normal controls were administered a battery of neuropsychological measures of memory functioning, as well as several self-report measures. Subjects with panic disorder demonstrated overall visual memory impairment compared to normal controls, but were no different from control subjects in overall verbal memory or ability to concentrate. Analyses of learning versus recall variables yielded significant differences between groups on measures of visual learning, visual recall, and verbal recall, with panic disorder subjects performing worse than controls. No group difference was found in verbal learning. Results provide a neuropsychological correlate to panic disorder with implications for temporal lobe involvement.