Lorazepam as an Imaging Comparator: Similar Amygdala Effects Did Not Prove Equal Anxiety Relief

A small generalized-anxiety study compared a novel cholinergic modulator with lorazepam and placebo using brain responses to fearful faces.

The measured response

Twenty-four people with generalized anxiety disorder underwent assessment. BNC210 reduced amygdala reactivity relative to placebo, with effects described as similar to lorazepam, and changed connectivity with anterior cingulate cortex. The findings concerned neural response during a specific task.

A neural endpoint is not a complete clinical comparison

The sample was small and predominantly female. Similar imaging changes do not establish equivalent symptom relief, onset, duration, dependence potential, or next-day function. A task-based scan also cannot define a person’s everyday anxiety or impairment from a benzodiazepine. The study supports investigating cholinergic mechanisms as a potential treatment target. It should not be presented as proving that the experimental compound clinically replaces lorazepam or that matching one network measure establishes the same overall pharmacology.

Source paper

Original analysis of the supplied journal article, identified as PMC7198974.

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