In this video, Professor Nicolas Singewald discusses the emerging opportunities and challenges associated with pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric conditions, with no new drug approvals in decades. Current treatments, such as benzodiazepines and SSRIs/SNRIs, have significant side effects and limited efficacy, with around 1/3 of patients not responding adequately. Research is exploring novel targets like cholinergic, glutamatergic, and endocannabinoid systems, as well as psychedelics and multimodal drugs. Promising candidates include rapidly acting anxiolytics, neurosteroids, and ketamine/CBD. The focus is on enhancing neuroplasticity and developing personalized treatments based on neurobiological heterogeneity, with ongoing efforts to establish reliable biomarkers for patient subtyping.
Professor Nicolas Singewald
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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