MicroRNA mediated regulation and the susceptibility to anxiety disorders

336 Pages·2011·4.898 MB·English

by  Espinosa-Parrilla, Yolanda, Muiños-Gimeno, Margarita

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Edited by Vladimir V. Kalinin
Anxiety Disorders
Edited by Vladimir V. Kalinin

Published by InTech
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Copyright © 2011 InTech
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Image Copyright Jessica Bethke, 2010. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

First published July, 2011
Printed in Croatia

A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from [email protected]

Anxiety Disorders, Edited by Vladimir V. Kalinin
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-307-592-1
free online editions of InTech
Books and Journals can be found at
www.intechopen.com

Contents

Preface IX
Chapter 1 A Probable Etiology and Pathomechanism of Arousal
and Anxiety on Cellular Level - Is It the
Key for Recovering from Exaggerated Anxiety? 1
András Sikter and Roberto De Guevara
Chapter 2 Relationship Between Oxidative Stress
and Anxiety: Emerging Role of Antioxidants Within
Therapeutic or Preventive Approaches 27
Jaouad Bouayed
Chapter 3 Pharmacology of 5-HT Modulation
2
of Amygdala & Hypothalamus
in Anxiety Disorders 39
Xiaolong Jiang, Aiqin Chen, Stanley Smerin,
Lei Zhang and He Li
Chapter 4 Adenosine Signaling in Anxiety 51
Christina L. Ruby, Chelsea A. Adams,
David A. Mrazek and Doo-Sup Choi
Chapter 5 PTSD and Current Translational Research 69
Lei Zhang, Xian-Zhang Hu, Xiaoxia Li,
He Li and Robert Ursano
Chapter 6 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors
in Peripheral Tissues: Implications
for Toxicology 97
Daniela Durand, Lila Carniglia, Carla Caruso
and Mercedes Lasaga
Chapter 7 The Carioca High and Low Conditioned Freezing
Lines: A New Animal Model of Generalized
Anxiety Disorder 121
Vitor de Castro Gomes, Carlos Eduardo Barroso Silva
and J. Landeira-Fernandez
VI Contents

Chapter 8 The Loss of Glutamate-GABA
Harmony in Anxiety Disorders 135
Joanna M Wierońska, K. Stachowicz,
G. Nowak and A. Pilc
Chapter 9 Role of the Endocannabinoid System in
Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders 159
Irit Akirav
Chapter 10 New Anxiolytic Phytopharmaceutical
Elaborated with the Standardized Extract
of Galphimia glauca 185
Jaime Tortoriello, Armando Herrera-Arellano,
Maribel Lucila Herrera-Ruiz, Alejandro Zamilpa,
Manases González-Cortazar and
Jesús Enrique Jiménez-Ferrer
Chapter 11 Psychophysiological Markers of Anxiety Disorders
and Anxiety Symptoms 203
Seung-Hwan Lee and Gewn-Hi Park
Chapter 12 Comorbidity of Anxiety and Affective Disorders
as Neuropsychiatric and Evolutionary
Problem (A New Concept) 227
Vladimir V. Kalinin
Chapter 13 Pharmacological Resistance of Stress Enhanced
Fear Learning in an Animal Model of Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder 239
Virginia Long, Wendy Fujioka,
Dorsa Amir and Michael Fanselow
Chapter 14 Anxiety Disorders in Dogs 261
Miguel Ibáñez Talegón and Bernadette Anzola Delgado
Chapter 15 MicroRNA-Mediated Regulation
and the Genetic Susceptibility to Anxiety Disorders 281
Yolanda Espinosa-Parrilla and Margarita Muiños-Gimeno
Chapter 16 Neurosteroid Biosynthesis Upregulation:
A Novel Promising Therapy for
Anxiety Disorders and PTSD 307
Graziano Pinna

Preface

Anxiety, without a doubt, seems to belong to the most universal and ancient
psychiatric phenomenon which has protective functions not only in Homo sapiens, but
in other species of mammals too.
Sir Aubrey Lewis, one of the outstanding psychiatrists of twentieth century in his
excellent work “Problems presented by the ambiguous word “anxiety” as used in
psychopathology” (1967) has stressed the dual meaning of the term “anxiety” based
on the etymology of this word. According to A. Lewis, the term “anxiety” implies not
only the psychological phenomenon which signifies a state of apprehension,
uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized
threatening event or situation, but also a combination of somatic and vegetative
symptoms. The somatic or physical symptoms of anxiety are multifarious and include
increased heart palpitation, headaches, dizziness or lightheadedness, nausea and/or
vomiting, diarrhea, tingling, pale complexion, sweating, numbness, difficulty in
breathing, and sensations of tightness in the chest, neck, shoulders, or hands. These
symptoms are produced by the hormonal, muscular, and cardiovascular reactions
involved in the fight-or-flight reaction.
According to another point of view, anxiety is considered as “a future-oriented mood
state in which one is ready or prepared to attempt to cope with upcoming negative
events”, suggesting that it is a distinction between future vs. present dangers that
divides anxiety and fear.
Anxiety is thought to be a normal reaction to stress. It may help a person to deal with a
difficult situation, for example at work or at school, by prompting one to cope with it.
But when anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety
disorder and in such a case a concern of psychiatrists is required.
During the last 2-3 decades drastic research progress in anxiety issues has been
achieved. It concerns mostly the study of different subtypes of anxiety and their
treatment. Nevertheless, the data on anxiety pathogenesis is less elaborated, although
here a multidimensional approach exists. It includes neurochemistry,
pathophysiology, endocrinology and psychopharmacology. Again, we are able to
recognize the multifarious sense of anxiety, and the present collective monograph
X Preface

composed of 16 separate chapters depicts the different aspects of anxiety. A great part
of book includes chapters on neurochemistry, physiology and pharmacology of
anxiety. The novel data on psychopathology and clinical signs of anxiety and its
relationship with other psychopathological phenomena is also presented.
The current monograph may represent an interest and be of practical use not only for
clinicians but for a broad range of specialists, including biochemists, physiologists,
pharmacologists and specialists in veterinary.

Professor Vladimir V. Kalinin,
Department of brain organic disorders and epilepsy of
Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry of Ministry of
Health and Social Development,
Russian Federation