Neurobiological Factors.

There is little re- search into the biological factors associated with
GAD specifically, although a large body of work has examined the role of biological factors in
anxiety generally. The majority of the biochemical work has centered on the role of the
benzodiaze- pine receptor complex (Insel, Ninan, Aloi, Jimerson, Skolnick, & Paul, 1984).
Discovery of a specific brain receptor for the benzodiazepines (Squires & Braestrup, 1977)
led to speculation that there must be a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that uses this
receptor and therefore may be involved in producing anxiety. A number of chemicals were
examined with this role in mind, and the research is still continuing.
A specific anxiety neurotransmitter has proven difficult to identify, but some researchers
have attempted to examine the interaction between var- ious neurotransmitter systems and
neuroanatomi- cal sites. The main research of this type has been conducted by Jeffrey Gray
(e.g., 1982; Gray & McNaughton, 1996), who has been involved in a systematic course of
research examining the neu-