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Understanding the Neurobiology of Comorbidity in Anxiety Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

David J. Nutt  and
Dan J. Stein
David J. Nutt*
Affiliation:
Dr. Nutt is professor of psychopharmacology in the Psychopharmacology Unit at the, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Dan J. Stein
Affiliation:
Dr. Stein is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town in south Africa, and is also on the faculty at, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
*
David J. Nutt, MD, PhD, Psychopharmacology Unit, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKBS8 1TD; Tel: 44-0-117-331-3143; Fax: 44-0-117-331-3143; E-mail: david.j.nutt@bristol.ac.uk
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Abstract

Anxiety and depression are common disorders that frequently co-exist. Both disorders show good response to antidepressants, especially the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Some suggest that these disorders are variants of the same underlying brain pathology. This review examines the similarities and differences between anxiety and depression in terms of the known neurobiological etiologic mechanisms as well as their biological underpinnings and response to treatment. Sufficient and significant differences between these disorders support the view that they are independent entities. Shared abnormalities in the 5HT1A receptor function, for example, may help explain some of the comorbidity.

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 11 , Issue S12 , 2006 , pp. 13 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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