NIH R01 · 2025
SUMMARY: Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions, yet no new anxiolytic drug has been approved for treatment in the last decade. Therefore, there is a significant unmet need to develop new effective pharmacotherapies. In rodent and human studies, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has emerged as a key brain region translating prolonged exposure to uncertain threats into sustained fear. The BNST is hyperactive in patients suffering from anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Human imaging studies demonstrate an enhanced functional connectivity between the BNST and the central amygdala (CeA) in anxious individuals. In rats, the BNST sends…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.