Summary of Anxiety Relief in Sight: Scientists Identify Key Gene:
Scientists from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter have identified a gene in the brain that regulates anxiety symptoms, and modifying this gene can significantly reduce anxiety levels, portraying a promising new target for anxiety treatment. This gene suppresses the expression of the Pgap2 gene, which controls stress-induced changes in the brain. The discovery of this novel pathway is the first step towards discovering more potent treatments for anxiety disorders. An increased amount of one type of molecule called miR483-5p suppresses the expression of Pgap2, which drives changes to neuronal morphology in the brain, leading to anxiety-related behavior.
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New Gene Discovery Could Lead to Novel Anti-Anxiety Treatments
Anxiety disorders are common worldwide, with severe psychological distress leading to biochemical, genetic, and structural changes in the brain’s amygdala neurons. However, current anti-anxiety treatments are ineffective, although helpful to some extent. More than half of individuals receiving such treatments do not achieve remission. These limited results have spurred researchers worldwide to look for new avenues to develop more potent anti-anxiety drugs.
Recently, a team of scientists from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter hunted for the molecular pathways in the brain that cause anxiety. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, identified a new gene in the brain that drives anxiety symptoms. The scientists also established that modifying this gene can significantly reduce anxiety levels, improving anti-anxiety treatment options.
Understanding the Neural Circuits and Molecular Events of Anxiety
The brain generates a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors that trigger neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression or anxiety. But the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the brain’s response to stress resilience and susceptibility remain largely unknown. The discovery is a stepping stone in the search for novel and potent anti-anxiety treatments.
The gene the team identified, regulated by a molecule called miR483-5p, suppresses the expression of the Pgap2 gene, which controls stress-induced changes in the brain. Altering this pathway may lead to more powerful, targeted, and effective treatments for anxiety disorders. The pathway offers substantial developmental potential for anti-anxiety therapies for complex psychiatric conditions in humans.
The Amygdala miR483-5p/Pgap2 Pathway
The research team began by studying a significant group of molecules called miRNAs in animal models, regulating multiple target proteins controlling cellular processes in the brain’s amygdala. After acute stress in the mice, the research team found an increased amount of one type of molecule called miR483-5p. Further experimentations revealed that miR483-5p suppresses the expression of the Pgap2 gene, which results in anxiety-related behavior. Therefore, miR483-5p acts as a molecular brake that offsets the stress-induced amygdala changes, relieving anxiety. These findings are critical in generating anxiety-reducing effects, offering development opportunities for new, more potent drugs and much-needed treatments for anxiety disorders.
Repercussions of the Study
Dr. Valentina Mosienko, one of the study’s lead authors and an MRC Fellow and Lecturer in Neuroscience at Bristol’s School of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, highlighted the potential of miRNAs in controlling complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety. “The miR483-5p/Pgap2 pathway we identified in this study, activation of which exerts anxiety-reducing effects, offers a huge potential for developing anti-anxiety therapies for complex psychiatric conditions in humans,” she said. The Medical Research Council, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Leverhulme Trust, and the Polish National Science Centre funded the study.
Conclusion
The discovery of a new gene that drives anxiety symptoms and identifying alternative pathways to produce anxiolytics are hopeful developments. Innovations in molecular science diverse open pathways to develop much-needed potent treatments for anxiety disorders. The study’s lead author said, “Severe or prolonged traumatic experiences can overcome the protective mechanisms of stress resilience, leading to the development of pathological conditions such as depression or anxiety.” Such efforts can greatly relieve millions of people worldwide struggling with anxiety and related disorders.
