Scientists Discover An 'Anxiety Gene,' Along With A Way To Turn It Off
Scientists have discovered an "anxiety gene" and a way to turn it off. This could help treat anxiety disorders in the long-run, scientists say. Currently, medications are used to relieve symptoms of anxiety but finding the right combination of drugs remains a challenge.
To get a better idea of what goes on in the brain among people with anxiety, a UK-led team of researchers restrained mice for 6 hours to trigger a stress response to analyse it later.
Reducing anxiety among people
They discovered increased levels of five microRNAs (miRNAs) that are small molecules that help determine which genes in a cell may be expressed and which shall not - in the region of a brain that has a lot to do with anxiety and is called amygdala.
After taking a closer look at these molecules, they found that a particular one that reached the highest levels, miR-483-5p, and that it was subduing the expression of a particular gene (Pgap2), in turn providing stress relief and helping alleviate anxiety.
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This particular pathway, scientists say, has huge potential to develop anti-anxiety therapies that are more effective than the ones currently available. "miRNAs are strategically poised to control complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety... But the molecular and cellular mechanisms they use to regulate stress resilience and susceptibility were until now, largely unknown," said study's co-lead author Valentina Mosienko.
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The discovery of this anxiety gene and a natural way to stop it could act as a blueprint for treatments that may be able to assist people with anxiety disorders, the study claims.
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