Full Breakdown
Losartan Shows Promise for Anxiety Relief but Produces Sex-Specific Effects on Attention Control
8/16/2026, 7:55:46 PM
Core Findings
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment tested a single 50-mg dose of losartan in 79 university students (39 women, 40 men, ages 18-29). Participants completed anxiety questionnaires before and after a 40-minute eye-tracking anti-saccade task.
- Anxiety: Losartan produced a moderate reduction in state anxiety relative to placebo for both sexes.
- Attention precision: Women on losartan missed target locations by 108 pixels versus 131 pixels on placebo; men missed by 160 pixels versus 111 pixels on placebo.
- Reaction time: Women receiving losartan responded faster on pro-saccade trials; men showed slower responses on anti-saccade trials.
- Error correction: Computational analysis showed losartan lowered the probability of repeating an error immediately after it occurred, a benefit not evident in overall error-rate averages.
Background & Context
Losartan blocks the angiotensin-II type 1 (AT1) receptor, a component of the renin-angiotensin system that influences both blood pressure and brain regions linked to emotion and cognition. Prior animal and neuroimaging work suggested that this system could modulate fear-related circuits, prompting investigation of acute pharmacological blockade for anxiety and top-down inhibitory control.
Data & Statistics
| Measure | Women (Losartan) | Women (Placebo) | Men (Losartan) | Men (Placebo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spatial accuracy (pixels missed) | 108 | 131 | 160 | 111 |
| Reaction-time change (pro-saccade) | Faster | Baseline | Slower | Baseline |
| State-anxiety change (scale units) | Moderate drop | Smaller drop | Moderate drop | Smaller drop |
| Error-probability after mistake | Significantly lower | Higher | No clear reduction | Higher |
Official Statements & Responses
Benjamin Becker, professor at the University of Hong Kong, noted that a single dose yielding anxiety reduction is notable given the long gap without new anxiolytic approvals. He emphasized the divergent cognitive outcomes between sexes and cautioned that the single-dose, healthy-volunteer design limits conclusions about long-term safety, efficacy in clinical populations, and neural mechanisms.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Recent animal studies and neuroimaging studies in humans have shown that targeting the angiotensin-renin system can modulate brain circuits related to fear and motivation,” — Benjamin Becker
- “The anxiety-reducing effect had a moderate effect size, which is already notable for a single-dose study and in the context of the fact that no new medication for anxiety was approved for about 3 decades,” — Benjamin Becker
- “Our new computational analyses revealed that losartan significantly lowered error probability immediately AFTER a preceding error, meaning the drug enhanced real-time self-correction which is a quite interesting mechanism and can improve flexible adaptation,” — Benjamin Becker
- “Cognitive improvement is not just about overall performance, it’s about learning from mistakes and adapting in real time,” — Mengfan Han, PhD student and first author
Limitations & Gaps
The study used a one-time dose and a young, healthy sample, limiting generalizability to older adults or patients with anxiety disorders. The eye-tracking task measured behavior but could not identify the neural circuits involved; functional imaging would be required for that insight.
What’s Next
The team has launched a clinical trial with patients to assess long-term safety, optimal dosing, and therapeutic efficacy. Results will determine whether the acute anxiolytic and sex-specific attentional effects observed in healthy volunteers translate to clinical populations.
