Resident doctor Miriam Stoppard looks at new research after scientists look at new possible treatment for anxiety after a gene in the brain has been identified as the source driving the condition
The seat of anxiety in the brain is a small area called the Âamygdala.
Once it gets anxious it’s difficult to calm it down â and this led Ruby Wax, in her book Sane New World, to coin the phrase, “naughty little amygdala”. Because of this “naughtiness” anxiety is common.
One in four people are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at least once in their lifetime. Severe psychological trauma can trigger genetic, biochemical and anatomical changes in the cells of the brain’s amygdala â the brain region implicated in stress-induced anxiety, leading to the onset of anxiety Âdisorders, including panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder.
But now a gene in the brain that drives anxiety symptoms has been identified by an international team of scientists. Amazingly, modification of the gene will damp down anxiety levels, offering a novel drug target for anxiety disorders, say researchers at the universities of Bristol and Exeter.