Journal
HUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL
Volume 19, Issue 7, Pages 457-465Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/hup.611
Keywords
L-theanine; alprazolam; anticipatory anxiety; anxiety; GABA; anxiolytic; anxiety models; benzodiazepine
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L-Theanine (delta-glutamylethylamide) is one of the predominant amino acids ordinarily found in green tea, and historically has been used as a relaxing agent. The current study examined the acute effects Of L-theanine in comparison with a standard benzodiazepine anxiolytic, alprazolain and placebo on behavioural measures of anxiety in healthy human subjects using the model of anticipatory anxiety (AA). Sixteen healthy volunteers received alprazolain (1 mg), L-theanine (200 mg) or placebo in a double-blind placebo-controlled repeated measures design. The acute effects of alprazolam and L-theanine were assessed under a relaxed and experimentally induced anxiety condition. Subjective self-reports of anxiety including BAI, VAMS, STAI state anxiety, were obtained during both task conditions at pre- and post-drug administrations. The results showed some evidence for relaxing effects Of L-theanine during the baseline condition on the tranquil-troubled subscale of the VAMS. Alprazolam did not exert any anxiolytic effects in comparison with the placebo on any of the measures during the relaxed state. Neither L-theanine nor alprazalam had any significant anxiolytic effects during the experimentally induced anxiety state. The findings suggest that while L-theanine may have some relaxing effects under resting conditions, neither L-theanine not alprazolam demonstrate any acute anxiolytic effects under conditions of increased anxiety in the AA model. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
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