‘ANXIETY PROTEIN’ THAT HOLDS KEY TO A CURE FOR STRESS
The British team has found that the brain releases an “anxiety protein” when exposed to stress
Thursday April 21,2011
By Victoria Fletcher Health Editor
SCIENTISTS have made a breakthrough in their understanding of stress.
It could lead to new treatments for the one in three people who suffer from stress disorders and depression. And it could help to explain why some people seem to suffer from anxiety more easily than others.
The British team has found that the brain releases an “anxiety protein” when exposed to stress. Levels of this protein neuropsin appear to dictate how we react to such situations. The researchers believe that targeting it or the gene that produces it could manipulate how we respond to stress and people with conditions it causes. In severe cases stress can lead to long term damage, problems with depression and post-traumatic stress.
Lead scientist Dr Robert Pawlak, from the University of Leicester, said: “Stress-related disorders affect a large percentage of the population and generate an enormous personal, social and economic impact. It was previously known that certain individuals are more susceptible to detrimental effects of stress than others. Although the majority of us experience traumatic events, only some develop stress-associated psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. The reasons for this were not clear.”
The research, reported in the journal Nature, showed that a part of the brain that controls emotional responses, called the amygdala, reacts to stress by boosting levels of neuropsin. This in turn triggers a series of chemical events that causes the amygdala to increase activity. Neuropsin interacted with two cell membrane proteins to activate a specific gene that regulates stress response. Further work revealed a link between the neuropsin pathway and the way mice behaved in a maze. Stressed animals stayed away from open, illuminated zones in the maze where they felt exposed and unsafe. But when their amygdala proteins were blocked, either by drugs or gene manipulation, the mice appeared to become immune to stress.
Dr Pawlak said: “We conclude that the activity of neuropsin and its partners may determine vulnerability to stress. We are tremendously excited about these findings. We know that all members of the neuropsin pathway are present in the human brain. They may play a similar role in humans and further research will be necessary to examine the potential of intervention therapies for controlling stress-induced behaviours."
Dr Pawlak said: “We conclude that the activity of neuropsin and its partners may determine vulnerability to stress. We are tremendously excited about these findings. We know that all members of the neuropsin pathway are present in the human brain. They may play a similar role in humans and further research will be necessary to examine the potential of intervention therapies for controlling stress-induced behaviours."
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