title: Neuropharmacology of buspirone.
abstract: Buspirone is a clinically effective anxiolytic with a unique structure and pharmacology which distinguishes it from the benzodiazepines. It has been termed anxioselective because it lacks anticonvulsant, sedative, or muscle-relaxant properties. Preclinical evidence suggests it lacks potential for abuse or physical dependence and interacts minimally with CNS depressants such as alcohol. Rather than working through traditional benzodiazepine mechanisms, buspirone affects diverse aspects of the brain's neurochemical circuitry. For example, it exerts potent influences on the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopamine systems, the dorsal raphe serotonergic system, and the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system. Although without direct receptor interaction, potentiation of cholinergically mediated behavior and involvement with GABAergic neurotransmission have also been demonstrated.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000378:metabolism; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002065:Buspirone; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D009448:Neurochemistry; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D011743:Pyrimidines; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D002065:Buspirone; D004298:Dopamine