An anxiogenic substance is one that causes anxiety. Anxiogenic effects can be measured by, for example, the hole-board test in rats and mice.[1] A number of agents are used to provoke anxiety (anxiogens) or panic (panicogens) in experimental models . Some of the most common substances are: sodium lactate, carbon dioxide (as carbogen), L-DOPA, caffeine, GABA antagonists such as DMCM, FG-7142 and ZK-93426, serotonergic agents such as mCPP, adrenergic agents such as yohimbine, and cholecystokinin (CCK) (especially the tetrapeptide and octapeptide fragments CCK-4 and CCK-8). Studies have shown that 10 mL/kg of 0.5 molar sodium lactate infused intravenously over a 20-minute period will provoke a panic attack in most patients with panic disorder but not healthy control subjects.[2]
Anxiolytic substances have the opposite effect: they reduce anxiety. The most common class of anxiolytic drugs are benzodiazepines.
References
- ^ Takeda, H and Tsuji, M and Matsumiya, T (1998). "Changes in head-dipping behavior in the hole-board test reflect the anxiogenic and/or anxiolytic state in mice". European Journal of Pharmacology 350 (1): 21–29. doi:. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9683010&dopt=Citation.
- ^ Hollander, Eric; Simeon, Daphne (2002). Concise Guide To Anxiety Disorders. London, England: American Psychiatric Pub. p. 83. ISBN 1585620807. http://books.google.com/books?id=qlXxu9D39xcC&lpg=RA1-PA82&ots=rcKCTWCX3V&dq=panicogen&pg=RA1-PA83#v=onepage&q=panicogen&f=false.
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