Researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden have discovered a biological mechanism that increases the strength of fear memory storage in the brain. The research, carried out in mice, was published in the scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry. It provides new insights into the processes underlying anxiety-related disorders and identifies common mechanisms for anxiety and alcohol dependence. When threatened, the brain’s amygdala is activated and works with parts of the brain’s frontal lobes, known as the “prefrontal cortex,” that are critical for emotion regulation. The researchers studied a protein called PRDM2, an epigenetic enzyme that represses the expression of many genes. It was previously found that alcohol dependent individuals have lower levels of PRDM2 and lead to an exaggerated stress response. Co-occurrence of alcohol dependence and anxiety-related conditions is common in humans, and the researchers suspect that this results from a common mechanism underlying the conditions.
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