Behavioral effects of GABA agonists in relation to anxiety and benzodiazepine action

Sodium Valproate and Chlordiazepoxide in the Elevated Plus-Maze Test of Anxiety in the Rat

“…So far, there have been no reports of reduced anxiety, but the majority of patients have received val proate as a treatment for epilepsy. It may be that higher doses of valproate are necessary to achieve an anxiolytic effect than are needed for an anticonvulsant action [Shephard, 1987], and therefore most patients may not have had a high enough dose. Valproate has been found effective in prophylactic treatment of manic depressive psychosis [e.g.…”

Anxiolytic and sedative-like effects of flavonoids from Tilia americana var. mexicana: GABAergic and serotonergic participation

“…7 The precise mechanisms of action of flavonoids might differ depending on the chemical structure and pharmacological activity, but regarding the anti-anxiety and sedative-like activities, the involvement of the GABAergic and serotonergic systems is typically reported. 12,14,29,30 Nevertheless, many flavonoids have been described to produce depressant activity on the Central Nervous System mediated by other than GABA A /benzodiazepine or GABA/non benzodiazepinic receptors. 14,31,32 In the present study, a crude methanol extract and a flavonoid mixture of T. americana var.…”

The role of dopaminergic mechanisms of the brain in various models of anxious states

“…As can be seen from Table 1, the analogous anti-anxiety action of haloperidol is not selective, since it induces a clear muscle relaxant effect in a dose of 0.5 mg/kg. The results of the investigations of the influences of the dopamine antagonists on the identified anxiolytic effects of the nonselective dopaminomimetics and of the blocker of the GABAA-receptors , picrotoxin [15], in both experimental models of anxiety, are shown in Fig. 1.…”

“…By contrast, sulpiride, introduced locally into the tegmentum, or chemical stimulation of the nucleus accumbens of the septum by dopamine, intensifies the state of alarm in the "illuminated area" avoidance test. The participation of dopaminergic mechanisms of the mesolimbic system of the brain in anxiety of various aversive causations is discussed.Factual data that have accumulated suggest that anxiety, as a highly prevalent emotional disturbance, is determined by a change in the functions of the serotonin-and GABAergic systems of the brain [2,3], which support the anxiolytic action of the tranquilizers [15,20]. At the same time, these mechanisms are probably not the 0nly ones, since the anxiolytic phenomenon, as.individual reports have suggested [3], may occur when other neurochemical "targets" are involved as well.…”