Future directions in anxiolytic pharmacotherapy

Pharmacologists have been searching for new anxiolytic drugs that are fast acting and free from the unwanted side effects associated with the traditional benzodiazepines through two major approaches. The first approach entails the discovery of compounds that act as partial agonists at benzodiazepine receptors, which, in turn, are linked to GABA-A receptors. The second approach is based on recent experimental findings that demonstrate the role of multiple additional neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the neurobiology of anxiety. This article provides an overview of recent developments based on both these approaches and offers a glimpse of new potential anxiolytic therapies.