Under normal circumstances, anxiety is a biological warning system that enables a person to anticipate and avoid harm and failure. Recent advances in the physiology and pharmacology of the central nervous system, and technical advances (imaging in particular), have opened new avenues toward a better understanding of the biology of anxiety.

Written by a renowned group of experts, Biology of Anxiety Disorders provides the most recent data on the neurobiology and pathophysiology of anxiety from a variety of perspectives. The book discusses recent advances in neuroimaging that have enhanced the study of anxiety such as measurement of cerebral blood flow and metabolic rate. The authors discuss the biology of serotonin receptors and relate these findings to a variety of anxiety disorders. The book reviews several kindling models and how they can be used to shed light on mechanisms, such as the induction of proto-oncogenes, that affect responsivity to panic-inducing stimuli. Biology of Anxiety Disorders also covers the peripheral physiological manifestations of anxiety, including recent findings on the physiological expression of anxiety disorders, and explores the relationship between these objective bodily changes and the subjective perception of these changes.