Diferències adaptatives durant l'habituació davant estímuls estressants: estudi de la implicació del sistema GABA/benzodiazepina en models animals i en humans

A series of studies is proposed with the aim of exploring the interactions between treatments with substances with activity up on the central benzodiazepine (BZ) receptors and the exposure/habituation techniques. To achieve that goal, comparative experiments using both procedures will be carried out in several animal models of anxiety, using non-selected Sprague Dawley rats, as well as rats of the Roman lines (RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh), selected for basal differences in emotionality. Moreover, further comparative studies between acute benzodiazepine agonist or antagonist vs. placebo, during sessions of exposure to anxiogenic stimuli, will be undertaken in human volunteers selected for differences in anxiety, as well as in patients with agoraphobia. The results may contribute to find the appropiate therapeutic parameters to achieve durable and stable reductions of handicapping anxiety and st