Pathological anxiety

We are aware of two studies that suggest the presence of taxa in the domain of anxiety and two studies that failed to find anxiety taxa. What can be learned from this discrepancy One obvious consideration is that anxiety pathology is heterogeneous and these four studies examined different constructs. Perhaps some forms of anxiety pathology are taxonic, while others are not. Another consideration is that if anxiety taxa exist, they may not correspond neatly to our current conceptions of anxiety disorders and anxi-... 

Anxiety is a normal reaction. Pathological anxiety interferes with daily-life activities and may be accompanied by autonomic symptoms (chest pain, dyspnoea and palpitations). Severe forms include phobic anxiety and panic disorder. 

Ionotropic glutamate receptors mediate fast excitatory neurotransmission in practically all areas of the central nervous system (CNS). They are also critical for both the induction and expression of synaptic plasticity, and have been implicated in diverse pathological conditions, such as epilepsy, ischemic brain damage, anxiety, and addiction. There are three subtypes of ionotropic glutamate receptors that are named after their high-affinity agonists as a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA), N-1nethyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), and kainate (KA) receptors (1). 

Emotions are subjective mood states that interact reciprocally with cognitive processes. Personality refers to traits of emotion and behavior that are more stable over time. Normal and pathological emotional states can be measured, to some degree, with objective tests to quantify changes in mood over time (or after drug treatment). Thus, several clinical scales have been developed for anxiety, depression, and mania. These measures are particularly useful for evaluating the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic herbs. 

Cacabelos, R. (2007) Molecular pathology and pharmacogenomics in Alzheimer s disease Polygenic-related effects of multifactorial treatments on cognition, anxiety, and depression. Meth. Find. Exper. Clin. Pharmacol., 29(suppl. B), 1-91. 

Physiological/ Pathological Effects Anxiety, depression Appetite, aggression Pain, sexual behaviour 7 Appetite, anxiety Mood V asoconstriction Appetite ... 

Physiological/ pathological effects Emesis Anxiety Pain, cognition Arrhythmia Atrial fibrillation Cognition Similar to 5-HTid 7 7 7... 

It has been hypothesized that depression could arise from a pathological enhancement of 5-HT2 receptor function. This view would concur with the observations that the functional activity of 5-HT2 receptors on the platelet membrane is enhanced in depression and the increase in the density of 5-HT2 receptors in the frontal cortex of brains from suicide victims. It is possible that enhanced 5-HT2 receptor function is associated primarily with anxiety, a common feature of depression, and that the increased activity of the 5-HT2 receptors results in an attenuation of the functioning of S-HT receptors thereby resulting in the symptoms of depression. Whether this change in the activity of S-HT receptors is due to direct effects of the altered 5-HT2 receptor function is uncertain. There is evidence that hypercortisolaemia, which is a characteristic feature of depression, reduces the activity of these receptors probably through central glucocorticoid type 2 receptors. Clearly further research is needed to determine the precise interaction between the 5-HT2 and 5-HTi receptor types. 

Data of animal experiments discussed in this chapter suggest a variety of potential pharmacological targets for the treatment of pathological anxiety (Fig. 1). As the occurrence of traumatic events is usually unpredictable, it seems more promising to interfere with consolidation than with acquisition processes. In this context, the sympatho-adrenergic and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system are of particular interest. Both noradrenaline and corticosterone/cortisol are known to facilitate memory consolidation, in par-... 

---