The neurobiology of benzodiazepine receptors in panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is quantitatively the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and benzodiazepines (BZs) act via a binding site on the GABA receptor complex. The neurobiology of the GABA-BZ receptor complex is being increasingly understood as imaging and pharmacological techniques to study the receptor complex both indirectly and directly improve. This paper outlines the evidence for BZ receptor abnormalities in panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.