Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25522403›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2014

Effects of Silexan on the serotonin-1A receptor and microstructure of the human brain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study with molecular and structural neuroimaging.

Pia Baldinger, Anna S Höflich, Markus Mitterhauser, Andreas Hahn, Christina Rami-Mark, Marie Spies, Wolfgang Wadsak, Rupert Lanzenberger, Siegfried Kasper

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. [Herbal treatment options for post-viral symptoms and long COVID].Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2026
    Review
  12. Review
  13. A Comprehensive Review on Anxiolytic Effect ofFood science & nutrition · 2025
    Review
  14. Article
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  18. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Pia BaldingerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Anna S HöflichDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Markus MitterhauserDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Andreas HahnDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Christina Rami-MarkDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Marie SpiesDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Wolfgang WadsakDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Rupert LanzenbergerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Siegfried KasperDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Drs Baldinger, Höflich, Hahn, Spies, Lanzenberger and Kasper), Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine (Drs Mitterhauser, Rami-Mark and Wadsak), Medical University of Vienna, Austria. sci-biolpsy@meduniwien.ac.at.
Medical University of Vienna · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecently, Silexan, a patented active substance comprised of an essential oil produced from Lavandula angustifolia flowers, has been authorized in Germany as a medicinal product for the treatment of states of restlessness related to anxious mood. Its efficacy has been shown in several forms of anxiety disorders. Findings from preclinical and clinical studies attribute a major role to the serotonin-1A receptor in the pathogenesis and treatment of anxiety.

methodsTo elucidate the effect of Silexan on serotonin-1A receptor binding, 17 healthy men underwent 2 positron emission tomography measurements using the radioligand [carbonyl-(11)C]WAY-100635 following the daily intake of 160 mg Silexan or placebo for a minimum of 8 weeks (randomized, double-blind, cross-over design). Additionally, structural magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed to determine potential effects on gray matter microstructure.

resultsSerotonin-1A receptor binding potential was shown to be significantly reduced following the intake of Silexan compared with placebo in 2 large clusters encompassing the temporal gyrus, the fusiform gyrus and the hippocampus on one hand as well as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex on the other hand. No effects of Silexan on gray matter volume could be detected in this investigation.

conclusionThis positron emission tomography study proposes an involvement of the serotonin-1A receptor in the anxiolytic effects of Silexan. The study was registered in the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register as ISRCTN30885829 (http://www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn/).

Indexed as

AdultAnti-Anxiety AgentsBrainCarbon RadioisotopesCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodGray MatterHumansLavandulaMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleOils, VolatilePiperazinesPlant OilsPositron-Emission TomographyPyridinesAnti-Anxiety AgentsCarbon Radioisotopeslavender oilN-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamideOils, VolatilePiperazinesPlant OilsPyridinesRadiopharmaceuticalsReceptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1Agray matter volumelavender oilpositron emission tomographyserotonin-1A receptorSilexanstructural magnetic resonance imaging

Identifiers

PMID25522403
PMCPMC4360214
OpenAlexW2095953154

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.