Posted by FireBreather on November 17, 2005, at 21:07:56
In reply to A piece in the news today which may be of interest, posted by teejay on November 17, 2005, at 18:38:59
I posted about the amygdala 6 weeks ago about how my hot peppers are affecting the amygdala, nobody wanted to take me seriously. Chronic consumption of HOT peppers will down-regulate the stress response a la reduced amygdala firing, BANK ON IT. LATERNo Pain, No Gain.
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists may have found a gene for fear -- a gene that controls production of a protein in the region of the brain linked with fearful responses.
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> Their finding, published on Thursday, could lead to new treatments for mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety.
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> The gene, known as stathmin or oncoprotein 18, is highly concentrated in the amygdala, a region of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, the researchers report in Thursday's issue of the journal Cell.
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> "This is a major advance in the field of learning and memory that will allow for a better understanding of post- traumatic stress disorder, phobias, borderline personality disorder and other human anxiety diseases," said Gleb Shumyatsky of Rutgers University in New Jersey, who worked on the study.
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> "It will provide important information on how learned and innate fear is experienced and processed, and may point the way to apply new therapies."
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> Mice genetically engineered so they would not produce stathmin had brain irregularities and were less able to remember fear-conditioned responses, the researchers reported.
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> Learned fear develops after conditioning -- as when a person is stung by a wasp and fears the insects afterward. These memories are formed in the amygdala.
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> "This is the first time it has been shown that the protein called stathmin -- the product of the stathmin gene -- is linked to fear conditioning pathways," said Vadim Bolshakov, director of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at Harvard University's McLean Hospital, who also worked on the study.
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> Also, the mice showed unusual behavior. Mice instinctively avoid open spaces, but the stathmin-free mice showed no fear and often explored more open areas than normal mice, the researchers found.
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> So the gene may control both learned and innate fear, the researchers said.
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> The mice might be useful for testing drugs and other treatments of anxiety disorders, they said.
poster:FireBreather
thread:579781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20051025/msgs/579840.html