Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

The Successive Alleys Test of Anxiety in Mice and Rats
Published on: June 17, 2013
Addiction potential of benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School, Houston.
Abstract:
This paper reviews the addiction potential of all benzodiazepines currently available in the U.S.A. as well as several non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic drugs. Addiction potential was assessed by separately considering the potential for these drugs to produce three different phenomena of addiction; namely, physical dependence, psychological dependence and deleterious consequences. This review focuses on human studies conducted with research volunteers outside the therapeutic context and also on clinical studies conducted with patients receiving treatment in the therapeutic context. It is concluded that benzodiazepines have a reduced addiction potential in comparison to the predecessor barbiturates. Conclusions regarding the relative addiction potential of several non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics are difficult due to a paucity of data; however limited evidence suggests a reduced addiction potential for several of these compounds. Within the benzodiazepine class, qualitative differences in addiction potential between individual drugs are not well established.
More Related Videos
07:16Methods for the Discovery of Novel Compounds Modulating a Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Type A Neurotransmission
Published on: August 16, 2018
05:42Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements
Published on: January 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines
Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic circuitry.
Anxiolytic Drugs: Benzodiazepines and Buspirone
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. They bind to the GABAA receptor, increasing its affinity for GABA, which opens chloride...