[Recent progress in the pharmacology of hypnotics and anxiolytics]

Recent studies on the respective contribution of GABAA receptor subunits in the various pharmacological effects of benzodiazepines suggest that the sedative and amnesic properties of diazepam are mediated by enhancement of gabaergic transmission in neurons expressing the alpha 1 subunit while the anxiolytic effect is selectively mediated by alpha 2 subunit. These findings suggest that a separation of the pharmacological properties of benzodiazepines is possible and that drugs with increased clinical specificity could be developed.