Cortical and subcortical gamma amino acid butyric acid deficits in anxiety and stress disorders: Clinical implications.

ABSTRACT: Anxiety and stress disorders are a major public health issue. However, their pathophysiology is still unclear. The gamma amino acid butyric acid (GABA) neurochemical system has been strongly implicated in their pathogenesis and treatment by numerous preclinical and clinical studies, the most recent of which have been highlighted and critical review in this paper. Changes in cortical GABA appear related to normal personality styles and responses to stress. While there is accumulating animal and human neuroimaging evidence of cortical and subcortical GABA deficits across a number of anxiety conditions, a clear pattern of findings in specific brain regions for a given disorder is yet to emerge. Neuropsychiatric conditions with anxiety as a clinical feature may have GABA deficits as an underly

SUBMITTER: Goddard AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4804267 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature