A new angle on anxiety: Surprising findings specific brain cells as the key target

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Northerner

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Clinical anxiety affects up to 30 percent of Americans who are in great need of better treatments with fewer side effects. A study from Boston Children's Hospital, published September 6 by the journal Molecular Psychiatry, finds that certain neurons in the hypothalamus play a central, previously unknown role in triggering anxiety. Targeting them, rather than the whole brain, could potentially provide a more effective treatment for anxiety and perhaps other psychiatric disorders, say researchers Joseph Majzoub, MD, and Rong Zhang, PhD, in the Division of Endocrinology.

Experiments in mice showed that blocking the stress hormone corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) selectively in this group of neurons erased the animals' natural fears. Mice with the deletion readily walked elevated gangplanks, explored brightly lit areas and approached novel objects—things normal mice avoid.

CRH, discovered nearly 40 years ago, coordinates our physical and behavioral stress response, often termed the "fight-or-flight" response. This response helps us survive in the face of threats, but when it is activated at the wrong time or too intensely, it can lead to anxiety and/or depression.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-angle-anxiety-specific-brain-cells.html
 
There already is a drug that suppresses this particular area in the hypothalamus. It's called alcohol. Bit non-specific though.
 
I'm guessing there's no shortage of research funding. The military must be all over this.
 
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