Anxiety as a state of diminished gabaergic neurotransmission resulting from too frequent recruitment of gabaergic neurons: a neurophysiological model

Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback rapidly ameliorates schizophrenia symptoms: A case report of the first session

A 38-year-old army officer started therapy in 2020 with a four-year history of auditory hallucinations and delusions of reference, persecution and grandeur, symptoms that were resistant to traditional antipsychotic medications. He follows an integrative psychotherapy program that aims to reduce his anxiety, continues his antipsychotic medications, and has Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback. After his initial assessment he had a 40 min session of Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback before any other kind of intervention. Before and immediately after the session he completed the SCL-90 scale and the Visual Analog Scale covering 20 aspects of his psychological and physical state as well as his schizophrenic symptoms. This first Neurofeedback session had dramatic effects on his psychotic symptoms, levels of anxiety and psychosomatic condition, before his first psychotherapy session and/or any changes in his antipsychotic medication. The above results have great importance due to the severity and chronicity of schizophrenia. Informed consent was obtained from the participant for the publication of this case report (including all data and images).

Involvement of endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligands in brain disorders: therapeutic potential for benzodiazepine antagonists?

Many therapeutic effects of benzodiazepines are mediated by neuronal high-affinity binding sites, i.e. benzodiazepine receptors (BR), located on GABAA receptors. Recently, endogenous BR ligands have partially been identified which, as agonists, either increase or, as inverse agonists, decrease GABAergic inhibition in the brain. BR antagonists, previously described as intrinsically inactive, induce effects in animals and humans under particular circumstances emphasizing a functional relevance of endogenous BR ligands. Several brain disorders, e.g. anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy, spasticity, alcoholism, coma, dementia, may be associated with a disequilibrium of opposing endogenous BR ligands changing the excitability of neurons implicated in aforementioned diseases. It is proposed that, depending on the relative role endogenous BR ligands play in the pathophysiology of these disorders, BR antagonists might demonstrate a variable efficacy in improving their symptomatology. In fact, such therapy would restore the homeostatic balance among various endogenous BR ligands being disturbed during an illness.

GABAergic drugs can enhance or attenuate chlordiazepoxide-induced sleep time in a heterogeneous strain of mice

Evidence supports the notion that differences between the Long-Sleep and Short-Sleep selectively-bred lines of mice are attributable to differences in brain excitability and that these differences are mediated by activity of the GABAergic system. The general applicability of this hypothesis to other populations of mice was tested by using an outbred strain of mice. Specifically, a heterogeneous strain of mice was administered several doses of the hypnotic chlordiazepoxide. Additionally, the indirect GABA agonist AOAA, and the GABA antagonists bicuculline, picrotoxin and pentylenetetrazol were administered to independent groups in conjunction with chlordiazepoxide. The results clearly demonstrate that chlordiazepoxide dose-dependently increased hypnosis, while AOAA enhanced, and the antagonists attenuated sleep time. These findings can be used to support the contention that GABA mediates the bidirectional response of Long-Sleep and Short-Sleep mice to CNS hypnotic-depressants; and, further, show that GABA mediation of sleep time in mice is a general phenomenon.

A behavioral examination of convulsant benzodiazepine and GABA antagonist, Ro 5-3663, and benzodiazepine-receptor antagonist Ro 15-1788

The potential "anxiogenic" effects of convulsant benzodiazepine and GABA-antagonist, Ro 5-3663 and specific antagonist of benzodiazepine receptors, Ro 15-1788 were compared in the Geller-Seifter conflict paradigm. Chlordiazepoxide (CDP) (5 mg/kg) was used as a "positive" control. Both Ro 5-3663 (1 mg/kg) and Ro 15-1788 (10 mg/kg) antagonized the anticonflict effect of CDP. However, while Ro 15-1788 had a modest anticonflict potency. Ro 5-3663 had an anxiogenic effect in its own right.