Psychobiology and Therapeutic Approaches to Anxiety States

The current psychobiology and the therapeutic principles of anxiety states have been reviewed. The seprohippocampal system probably operates as the organ of match-mismatch comparator. A dysfunction of this internal comparator could possibly be the source of anxiety. There seem to be two distinct psychobiologic models for pain disorder and chronic anxiety state. The therapeutic responses of panic disorder to TCA and MAOI and the response to the chronic anxiety state to benzodiazepines supports the classification ot two distinct syndromes. However different provocative challenge tests have not clearly delineated the role of nor-adrenergic (NF) mechanisms in panic disorder and benzodiazepine receptor theory for chronic anxiety state. Challenge tests with receptor specific pharmacologic agents may reveal the molecular basis of these disorders unlike the tests with non-specific agents like lactate and caffeine.