The novel vasopressin receptor (V1aR) antagonist SRX246 reduces anxiety in an experimental model in humans: a randomized proof-of-concept study.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vasopressin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Here, the researchers examined the effects of SRX246 in a proof-of-concept translational paradigm of fear (phasic response to imminent threat) and anxiety (prolonged response to potential threat).

Why It Was Studied

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide that modulates both physiological and emotional responses to threat.

Until recently, drugs that target vasopressin receptors (V1a) in the human central nervous system were unavailable.

Who Took Part

Healthy volunteers received both SRX246 and placebo in a randomized, double-blind, counter-balanced order separated by a 5-7-day wash-out period.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vasopressin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received Vasopressin.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Vasopressin, giving a reference point.

Threat consisted of unpleasant electric shocks.

The "NPU" threat test probed startle reactivity during predictable threat (i.e., fear-potentiated startle) and unpredictable threat (i.e., anxiety-potentiated startle).

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Antidiuretic Hormone Receptor Antagonists, Anxiety, Azetidines, Models, Theoretical, Receptors, Vasopressin and Reflex, Startle.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Anxiety-potentiated startle, Fear-potentiated startle, NPU threat test, Threat of shock and V1a receptor.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vasopressin.

Results are reported in around 2 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2021 (Psychopharmacology), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the Vasopressin compound page, all human trials.