Excitation of the perifornical hypothalamic area, which contains particularly high concentration of orexin neurons, produces robust flight and escape behaviors, and cardioexcitation in rodents (Shekhar and DiMicco, 1987; Anderson and DiMicco, 1990; Shekhar et al., 1990; Soltis and DiMicco, 1992; Samuels et al., 2002), and induces core symptoms of panic attacks in humans [e.g., fear of dying, cardiorespiratory symptoms, and thermal sensations (Rasche et al., 2006; Wilent et al., 2010, 2011)]. This evidence concerns the gene HCRT and panic disorder.