title: The cholecystokinin hypothesis of panic and anxiety disorders: a review.
abstract: It has been suggested that cholecystokinin, a neurotransmitter found in high density in mammalian brain, might be implicated in the neurobiology of panic and anxiety disorders. Cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide induces panic attacks analogous to spontaneous panic attacks in patients suffering from panic disorder and to a much lesser degree in healthy volunteers, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity to cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide in panic disorder. In animal models of anxiety, pre-treatment with cholecystokinin antagonists significantly decreases the anxiogenic effects of cholecystokinin agonists. This paper reviews clinical and basic studies supporting an involvement for cholecystokinin in panic and anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: McGall University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bradwejn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koszycki
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: du Tertre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palmour
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ervin