London: Scientists have discovered a way to naturally turn off the ‘anxiety gene’ in the brain. The breakthrough will help scientists develop new treatments for anxiety disorders.
According to research published in the scientific journal ‘Nature Communications’, anxiety disorders are currently the most commonly diagnosed psychological problems affecting 25% of the population at some point in their lives.
These anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, fear of various things, recurrent unwanted and distressing thoughts (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). are included.
Research has shown that the effectiveness of currently available anti-anxiety medications is so low that less than half of patients do not experience panic attacks despite treatment.
So researchers focused on how anxiety changes our brains at the molecular or genetic level.
In the study, the scientists reported that psychological stress can induce profound changes in the gene expression profile in different brain regions (including the amygdala).
The amygdala is two almond-shaped areas located deep in the brain. These areas play a role in the fight-or-flight response to threats, so they are associated with anxiety disorders.
In a study led by British researchers, rats were restrained for six hours to induce stress and then examined the mice’s brains at a molecular level.
The researchers observed increased levels of five microRNAs in the mice’s brains. These small molecules (which are also found in humans) regulate a number of proteins that control cellular functions within the amygdala.
The team found that a microRNA called miR483-5p acts as a molecular barrier and produces an anxiety-relieving effect by suppressing the expression of another gene called pgap2.
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