A model for evaluation of antianxiety drugs with the use of experimentally induced stress: Comparison of nabilone and diazepam.

Volunteer subjects were used to compare a potential antianxiety drug (nabilone, 2-mg single doses) with a standard drug (diazepam, 5-mg single doses). A double-masked design with placebo control was used. Volunteer subjects were selected on the basis of high levels of train anxiety and were tested by two anxiety-inducing procedures--the mirror drawing test and the Stroop color-word test. Anxiety induced by the experimental procedure was alleviated by diazepam and, to a lesser extent, by nabilone. Since doses of the two drugs may not have been equivalent, or the time courses identical, conclusions about their relative efficacy must be guarded. The experimental model is unusual in that antianxiety drugs can be tested in volunteer subjects for true antianxiety effects rather than for side effects, such as cognitive or motor impairment, sleepiness, or other signs of central nervous system depression.