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Serotonin in Anxiety and Related Disorders

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Serotonin

Part of the book series: Medical Science Symposia Series ((MSSS,volume 5))

Abstract

Anxiety disorders have recently become a major focus of research in psychiatry. The delineation of distinct diagnostic entities and the advent of selective serotonin (5-HT) drugs has resulted in a burgeoning of scientific interest. Clinical evidence on the role of 5-HT in anxiety disorders is mainly supported by the therapeutic effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. SSRIs appear to have potent antipanic and antiobsessional effects in the absence of depressive symptoms. Clinical evidence that 5-HT is involved in generalized anxiety disorder is derived from studies with selective 5-HT agonists. The role of 5-HT in various anxiety states is further highlighted by the results of challenge tests with 5-HT selective drugs. This paper reviews the role of 5-HT in anxiety disorders with special emphasis on its differential role in the various symptom domains.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, P.O. Box 85500, GA Utrecht, 3508, The Netherlands

    H. G. M. Westenberg & J. A. Den Boer

Authors
  1. H. G. M. Westenberg
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  2. J. A. Den Boer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

    P. M. Vanhoutte

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    P. R. Saxena

  3. Institute of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    R. Paoletti

  4. University of Modena, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Modena, Italy

    N. Brunello

  5. Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation, Houston, Texas, USA

    A. S. Jackson (Assistant Editor) (Assistant Editor)

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Westenberg, H.G.M., Den Boer, J.A. (1993). Serotonin in Anxiety and Related Disorders. In: Vanhoutte, P.M., Saxena, P.R., Paoletti, R., Brunello, N., Jackson, A.S. (eds) Serotonin. Medical Science Symposia Series, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1920-7_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1920-7_29

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4849-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1920-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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