Gene Linked To Anxiety

Scientists at Rockefeller university show that the gene Lynx2 is linked to anxiety. While this research was done on mice, the gene alters the way that brain cells communicate, and a similar process may underlie anxiety disorders in humans. Lynx2 produces molecules that influence communication between neurons in brain areas associated with anxiety. In prior work, the researchers showed that the gene generates a molecule called a mammalian prototoxin, an evolutionary precursor to snake venom toxins. The prototoxins target the same cells as snake venom but regulate their activity instead of inactivating them completely. When researchers compared samples of mice with the gene to those without, they found that the only difference was that the mice without the gene were a more nervous breed, spending less time in illuminated spaces and preferring to hide in the dark. Researchers believe the lack of this gene causes increased excitability in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, both regions of the brain known to be active in anxious people.