A New and Improved Anxiolytic?

Benzodiazepines are effective anxiolytics, but sedation, tolerance, and withdrawal complicate their long-term use. A European team reported that a compound called XBD173 stimulates translocator protein. This protein, in turn, promotes production of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptors. The team first showed that the result of this process is less anxiety in rodents — without sedation or tolerance.

Because the animal results were promising, investigators enrolled 71 healthy male volunteers in whom panic attacks could be provoked reliably with a chemical stimulus. The men were randomized to treatment for 7 days with one of three doses of XBD173, alprazolam (2 mg), or placebo; on day 7, participants underwent second rounds of chemical p…