title: Further investigation on benzodiazepine binding inhibitory activity in patients with major depression or panic disorder and in healthy volunteers.
abstract: Preliminary findings regarding the presence of plasmatic benzodiazepine binding inhibitory activity (BBIA) in 14 psychiatric patients prompted us to investigate it further in larger samples of psychiatric patients (n = 44) and in healthy controls (n = 14). The results have shown that BBIA is present in all the subjects included with statistically significant differences between the patients and controls. The highest concentrations were found in the patients with no difference between anxious or depressed patients, and the lowest in the healthy controls. These findings indicate that BBIA might play a role in the pathophysiology of some manifestations of anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marazziti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michelini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giannaccini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lucacchini
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Cassano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D026261:Diazepam Binding Inhibitor; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005445:Flunitrazepam / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D010200:Panic / Q000502:physiology*; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D026261:Diazepam Binding Inhibitor; D009479:Neuropeptides; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005445:Flunitrazepam