CRHR1 agonists: an innovative approach for the treatment of the social anxiety disorder.

Current pharmacological treatment for SAD with antidepressants is inefficient, as only 35% of SAD patients treated are considered recovered after 10 years of medical follow-up, and it produces significant side effects (serotonin syndrome, suicidal thoughts, hyponatremia, risk of bleeding, bone fractures, or addiction). In contrast, administration of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a 41-amino acid peptide, or other CRHR1 receptor agonists in the lateral septum eectively reverses social isolation behavior in experimental models of altered social preference. Several clinical trials show that CRH administration in human patients does not cause toxicity, and the optimal dose of CRH to minimize its cross-effect on non-nervous tissues in patients has already been determined. In addition, CRH can be administered via intranasal sprays, which deliver the compounds to the brain more efficiently. Therefore, the use of CRHR1 agonists may represent a new and eective future therapy for the treatment of introversion and social isolation in patients with SAD, overcoming the limitations of current drugs.