Serotonin receptors, social phobia and panic disorder

Summary

This paper reviews the importance of the serotonin system in the generation of anxiety with particular emphasis on how these mechanisms may be important in the pathogenesis and treatment of panic disorder and social phobia. A discussion of animal models, the limitations of extrapolating from animals to humans, and a summary of the data currently derived from these models is presented. Human etiopathophysiologic and treatment studies of panic disorder and social phobia are also presented. The role of the various receptor subtypes in the modulation of anxiety are discussed as well as are implications for treatment. Clearly, more research is needed to understand the etiopathogenesis of anxiety disorders and to help clinicians treat them.