Anxiety – past and present: Leo Henryk Sternbach and the discovery of the first anxiolytics

The Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Centre in Paris and the Association of Physicians of Polish Origin in France (AMOPF) invite you to a meeting on the history and current state of the pharmacological treatment of anxiety, with a particular focus on the groundbreaking discovery by Leo Henryk Sternbach – the founder of the first benzodiazepines.

For a long time, the pharmacological treatment of anxiety relied mainly on herbal medicine. Laudanum, an opium derivative, was used in pharmacopoeia not only as a painkiller but also as an anxiolytic. Over time, barbiturates were used, followed by meprobamate; however, these were abandoned for this indication following Leo Sternbach’s 1957 discovery of chlordiazepoxide – the first molecule in the benzodiazepine family.

This discovery, made by a former student of the Jagiellonian University, is an example of a method that also led to the development of many other psychotropic drugs still in use worldwide today. These substances have played a significant role not only in therapy but also in defining classes of mental disorders.

The lectures will also cover current trends in research into new anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs. This research is no longer limited solely to behavioural methods, but also encompasses genetic approaches. Particular attention will be paid to behavioural pharmacology and the models and tests used in studies involving laboratory animals, such as rodents, as well as the increasingly common zebrafish model.

An important element of the presentations will also be a discussion of the phenomenon of anhedonia, which often accompanies anxiety and depressive disorders, both in the context of experimental research and clinical observations.

The lectures will be presented by:

• Prof. Grażyna Biała – pharmacist and pharmacologist, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Lublin
• Dr Andre Galinowski – psychiatrist, Association of Physicians of Polish Origin in France

The event will be accompanied by a piano concert by Cyprian Czaban and Evelyne Rozborski.

Registration by email: secretariat@paris.pan.pl

By registering for the event, you accept the terms and conditions regarding the protection of personal data.