Role of gamma-aminobutyric acid in antipanic drug efficacy.
All effective pharmacologic agents used to treat panic disorder augment gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission. Anxiolytics and antidepressants that lack GABA activity are not effective in panic disorder. To test the hypothesis that GABA activity is a component of antipanic drug efficacy, the authors treated nine medication-free panic disorder subjects with oral baclofen (30 mg/day for 4 weeks) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Baclofen, a selective GABA agonist, was significantly more effective than placebo in reducing the number of panic attacks and scores on the Hamilton anxiety scale, Zung scale, and Katz-R nervousness subscale. The authors discuss possible mechanisms of antipanic drug efficacy.
Breslow
M F
MF
Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson 85724.
Fankhauser
M P
MP
Potter
R L
RL
Meredith
K E
KE
Misiaszek
J
J
Hope
D G
DG
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001418:Baclofen / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005239:Fear; D006801:Humans; D010200:Panic; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010919:Placebos; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology*
D010919:Placebos; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D001418:Baclofen