Drugs with selective action at the α2 α3 subunits of the bcnzodiazcpine-GABA receptor may be effective and safe anxiolytics for stress-induced anxiety. Testosterone Psychological stress is associated with decreases in testosterone levels.104 Physically and psychologically

stressful training exercises produce a reduction in testosterone levels in elite special forces.79 Decreased testosterone from exposure to stress may be caused by decreased leutinizing Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) synthesis at the hypothalamus or leutinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the pituitary. Alternatively, another possible mechanism involves a recently identified hypothalamic-testicular pathway that is independent of the pituitary, but travels through the spinal cord. This pathway appears to mediate the effect of CRH to decrease testosterone Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical levels. Hence, hypothalamic increases in CRH produced by psychological stress may be associated with decreased testosterone by stimulating the neural pathway that interferes with Leydig cell function independently of the pituitary105 The role of testosterone in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders in men

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical has scarcely been researched. There is a recent report of reduced CSF testosterone levels in PTSD patients, which were negatively correlated with CSF CRH concentrations. There was no correlation between plasma and CSF testosterone levels.106 Testosterone administration may be helpful for male patients with low preexisting testosterone secondary to chronic PD173074 severe psychological Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical stress. Estrogen There is abundant preclinical and clinical literature demonstrating consistent gender differences in stress responsiveness.107 Preclinical studies

have revealed that female rats consistently show greater increases Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in corticosterone and ACTH in response to acute and chronic stressors. These differences have generally been attributed to activational effects of gonadal steroids on elements of the HPA axis in females.108 Studies in human populations suggest that female subjects science respond with greater HPA activation to stressors involving interpersonal concerns (social rejection) and male subjects to achievement-oriented stressors.107 The role of estrogen in these differential responses remains to be studied. Estrogen has been shown to blunt HPA axis responses to psychological stress in postmenopausal women109,110 and to blunt the ACTH response to CRH in postmenopausal women with high levels of body fat. In addition, 8 weeks of estrogen supplementation to perimenopausal women blunted the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Cortisol, ACTH, plasma epinephrine and NE, and total body NE responses to stress.111 Women commonly suffer more from anxiety disorders than men. Women also appear to be more sensitive to the effects of traumatic stress.