Scientists unravel link between stress, anxiety, depression
April 12th, 2010 - 3:04 pm ICT by IANSToronto, April 12 (IANS) Scientists have unravelled the link between stress, anxiety and depression.
By identifying the connecting mechanism in the brain, the research led by Stephen Ferguson of the Robarts Research Institute in the University of Western Ontario (UWO) shows exactly how stress and anxiety can cause depression.
The study also reveals a small molecule inhibitor developed by Ferguson, which may provide anew and better way to treat anxiety, depression and other related disorders.
Ferguson, Ana Magalhaes and their colleagues used a behavioural mouse model and a series of molecular experiments to reveal the connection pathway and to test the new inhibitor.
“Our findings suggest there may be an entire new generation drugs and drug targets that can be used to selectively target depression, and therefore treat it more effectively,” says Ferguson, professor in physiology and pharmacology at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
“We have gone from mechanism to mouse, and the next step is to see whether or not we can take the inhibitor we developed, and turn it into a pharmaceutical agent,” he adds.
The research was conducted in collaboration with Hymie Anisman at Carleton University, and funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
“According to the World Health Organisation, depression, anxiety and other related mood disorders now share the dubious distinction of being the most prevalent causes of chronic illness,” says Anthony Phillips, scientific director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences.
“Using the power of molecular biology, Stephen Ferguson and colleagues provide novel insights that may be the key to improving the lives of so many individuals coping with these forms of mental ill health,” a UWO statement quoted Phillips as saying.
While major depressive disorder often occurs together with anxiety disorder in patients, the causes for both are strongly linked to stressful experiences.
Stressful experiences can also make the symptoms of anxiety and depression more severe. The findings were published online in Nature Neuroscience.
- Biological link between stress, anxiety and depression discovered - Apr 12, 2010
- Why Huntington's disease symptoms take so long to appear - Feb 24, 2010
- Gene linked to major depression identified - Feb 08, 2011
- How stress in brain increases inflammatory, behavioral responses - May 04, 2011
- DNA could tell if death is depression or suicide - Jul 31, 2008
- Intestinal bacteria cause behavioural changes - May 18, 2011
- Immunologists rule out virus' role in mental illness - Feb 01, 2012
- How Prozac alters brain plasticity - Mar 16, 2011
- Australia opens brain research centre - Oct 17, 2011
- 'Survival protein' can help treat neuro-disorders - May 24, 2011
- Soon, a pill to keep stress at bay! - Apr 21, 2011
- Scientists produce compound that may treat Parkinson's disease - Feb 12, 2011
- Why some people become depressed when they are stressed - Jan 27, 2011
- Biological reason behind why depression hits women more than men - Jun 16, 2010
- Binge drinking 'ups future depression risk in teens' - Nov 16, 2010
Tags: anthony phillips, anxiety and depression, canadian institutes of health research, carleton university, cihr institute, depression anxiety, drug targets, dubious distinction, major depressive disorder, medicine dentistry, mental ill health, molecular experiments, novel insights, robarts research institute, schulich school of medicine, stephen ferguson, stress and anxiety, stress anxiety, university of western ontario, world health organisation