Buspirone, a new approach to the treatment of anxiety

Anxiety has historically been treated by agents with a sedative component to their action. In the last decade or so it has been determined that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors may mediate the anxiolytic actions of the benzodiazepines, propanediol carbamates, barbiturates, and ethanol. However, inasmuch as these drugs have additional pharmacological properties (sedation, muscle relaxation, seizure control), the search for an anxioselective drug was continued. Buspirone appears to be such a drug. Clinical studies have clearly demonstrated the efficacy of buspirone in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder without the ancillary pharmacology of earlier anxiolytics. Buspirone does not act on the GABA receptor. Rather, its most salient interaction with neurotransmitter receptors occurs at the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor. This action is supported by studies focused on receptor binding, anatomical localization, biochemistry, neurophysiology, and animal behavior. The recognition that action at 5-HT1A receptors may be a viable approach to the pharmacotherapy of anxiety is evidenced by the number of other agents of this class under development by a number of pharmaceutical companies.