PATHOLOGICAL ANXIETY: NEURAL BASES AND ADVANCES IN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

Objective: To present an updated and broad perspective of anxiety concerning its pathological manifestation, neural bases and the progress in its psychopharmacological therapeutic approach. Method: It was conduced a literature review whose source of research was papers indexed by the database Pubmed, Medline and researches from specific books that investigated the anxiety in its pathological aspect. Results: As regards the genesis of anxiety disorders, several neurotransmitters are involved since they participate, in a greater or lesser degree, in the modulation and regulation of defensive behaviors. The evidence obtained so far allows noting the progress achieved in the treatment of anxiety disorders with the use of benzodiazepines and, more recently, antidepressants. New alternatives for the treatment of the anxiety-related disorders involve researches related to the discovery of new antidepressants, to the use of neuroactive peptides such as cholecystokinin (CCK), corticotropin releasing factor (CRH), neuropeptide Y, and antagonists of glutamatergic NMDA receptor. Conclusion: Advances can be observed in the pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders mainly by using antidepressants. However, there is still a long way to be followed in order to find new therapeutic options for these disorders.