In Brief
Fear Control Deciphered
Many patients suffering from anxiety disorders or depression display increased amounts of a specific stress hormone in the brain. Yet this stress hormone can not only increase anxiety but also decrease it. This is the surprising result the Clinical Cooperation Group Molecular Neurogenetics from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry arrived at. Depending on which area of the brain the hormone CRH is distributed in, one of these two antidromic neuronal control loops is activated. These insights could improve the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.
Original publication:
Refojo, D. et al. (2011). Glutamatergic and Dopaminergic Neurons Mediate Anxiogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of CRHR1R, Science Express
