Scientists from the United Kingdom, Poland and Japan have discovered that a protein present in the brain is responsible for the anxiety that appears in response to stress. The finding is published today in the magazineNature.
As explained by Robert Pawlak, who has led the research from the British University of Leicester, until now? It was known thatcertain individuals are more susceptible to the damaging effects of stress than othersAlthough most people experience some traumatic event in their life, only some develop psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, “he explains. The new study reveals that the key to these differences could be in the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala, which reacts to stress by increasing the production of a protein calledneuropsina. This, in turn, triggers a series of chemical reactions that, in turn, cause the amygdala to increase its activity.
In tests with mice, the researchers observed that when rodents felt stressed in a maze they tried to find safer areas. However, when the proteins produced by the amygdala were blocked, either pharmacologically or using gene therapy, their behavior changed and they stopped desperately seeking refuge. The scientists concluded thatthe activity of neuropsin and other related molecules determines vulnerability to stress. ? We know that all components of the neuropsin pathway are present in the human brain, so they should play a similar role ,? adds Pawlak, who hopes the research will lead to the development of new drugs to prevent anxiety and depression. .
