(Press-News.org)
The Synaptic Physiology laboratory, led by Juan Lerma at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche, has discovered that a specific group of neurons in the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotion regulation, plays a key role in the emergence of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and altered social behavior. This study, published in iScience, shows that restoring the neuronal excitability balance in a specific area of the amygdala is enough to reverse these behaviors in mice.
“We already knew the amygdala was involved in anxiety and fear, but now we've identified a specific population of neurons whose imbalanced activity alone is sufficient to trigger pathological behaviors”, explains Lerma. His team utilized a genetically modified mouse model to overexpress the Grik4 gene, thereby increasing the number of GluK4-type glutamate receptors and raising neuronal excitability. These animals, developed by the same lab in 2015, show anxiety and social withdrawal behaviors very similar to those observed in individuals with disorders such as autism or schizophrenia.
The researchers normalized the gene’s expression specifically in neurons of the basolateral amygdala, which restored communication with another group of inhibitory neurons in the centrolateral amygdala known as ‘regular firing neurons’. “That simple adjustment was enough to reverse anxiety-related and social deficit behaviors, which is remarkable”, says Álvaro García, first author of the study.
The animals were evaluated using electrophysiological techniques and behavioral tests that measure anxiety, depression, and social interaction in rodents, based on their preference for exploring open spaces or their interest in unfamiliar mice. Then, using genetic engineering and modified viruses, the scientists selectively corrected the alteration in the basolateral amygdala and observed changes in both neuronal activity and the animals' behavior.
They also applied the same procedure to wild-type mice that displayed intrinsic anxiety, and it was also effective in reducing their anxiety. “This validates our findings and gives us confidence that the mechanism we identified is not exclusive to a specific genetic model, but may represent a general principle for how these emotions are regulated in the brain”, Lerma adds.
Some behavioral deficits, such as object recognition memory, were not resolved, suggesting that other brain areas, such as the hippocampus, may also be involved in these disorders and remain uncorrected. The study opens the door to new therapeutic possibilities: “Targeting these specific neural circuits could become an effective and more localized strategy to treat affective disorders”, the researcher concludes.
This work was possible thanks to funding from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) – Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Severo Ochoa Excellence Program for Research Centers at the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the Generalitat Valenciana through the PROMETEO and CIPROM programs.
END
An international collaboration featuring the University of Vienna and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) has led to the first-ever chromosome-level genome assembly of a sea spider (Pycnogonum litorale). The genome informs about the development of the characteristic sea spider body plan and constitutes a landmark for revealing the evolutionary history of chelicerates in general. The study was recently published in BMC Biology.
Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) are marine arthropods with highly unusual anatomy: their trunk is very narrow and short, many of their internal organ systems extend into their long legs, and their ...
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, unexplained, sudden death of a child younger than one year old. Although the number of babies born in the United States who die from SIDS annually has declined in recent decades, it is the most common cause of death among infants between one month and one year old, and some 2,300 babies die of it each year, according to Boston Children’s Hospital.
Yet new health survey data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania finds that ...
You have probably heard people say that “it should be worth our time to work”. This is true even in Norway, where generous social welfare programs help take care of people who have ended up outside the workforce, whether involuntarily or not.
“This is what we call the ‘work incentive principle’. Basically, there should always be a financial advantage to working instead of receiving unemployment benefits,” said Roberto Iacono, an associate professor at the Norwegian Univeristy of Science and Technology ...
It has long been known that loneliness is a risk factor in the development of anxiety and depression. However, the association itself has been less well studied. This is especially true during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
“Our research team investigated how loneliness in adolescence, both in isolation and in interaction with low resilience, affects anxiety and depression in young adulthood,” said Nayan Deepak Parlikar. She is a PhD candidate at the Norwegian University ...
Scientists who have written in the CABI One Health journal say there is an urgent need for aflatoxin control strategies in Pakistan’s feed supply chain to improve animal health, productivity, food safety and exports of animal-based products.
The researchers argue that aflatoxins – toxic metabolites produced by certain fungi – are frequently found in animal feed due to poor storage and handling practices. Their presence, they say, not only compromises animal health but also leads to transfer through contaminated milk, meat and eggs, posing serious risks to public health.
A review article ...
Researchers have long focused on the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway as a way to harness the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer. This pathway, which plays a key role in helping the body defend against potential pathogens, can be leveraged to trigger an innate immune response that targets cancer cells. However, a study published July 3 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, led by biochemist Lingyin Li (Bluesky: @lingyinli.bsky.social), is spearheading a new school of thought.
Historically, research on STING has overwhelmingly focused on activating the pathway ...
Researchers in Japan have successfully generated lung cells similar to alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cells from mouse embryonic fibroblasts without using stem cell technology. The AT2-like cells were generated in just 7 to 10 days—a significant reduction compared to the approximately one month typically required by conventional stem cell-based differentiation methods.
This approach may pave the way for treating serious respiratory diseases, such as interstitial pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which currently lack effective treatments. The study was published ...
For her work to illuminate how the immune system responds to the beneficial skin microbiome, Djenet Bousbaine is the winner of the 2025 NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize.
Bousbaine’s work reveals a surprisingly sophisticated immune response that could be harnessed for the development of innovative, needle-free vaccination strategies.
“I am delighted that 2025 attracted a diverse and exciting roster of entries for the NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize,” said Caroline Ash, ...
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have gained unique insight into the mechanisms behind the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, which are crucial for sea level rise in the Northern Hemisphere. The discovery of old aerial photos has provided an unparalleled dataset that can improve predictions of sea level rise and how we should prioritise coastal protection and other forms of climate adaptation.
On 28 November 1966, an American aeroplane flies over the Antarctic Peninsula just south of the southernmost tip of Chile.
On board is a photographer, probably from the US Navy, whose job is to map the Antarctic landscape. But it turns out that the photographer is also documenting ...
The private Swiss NOMIS Foundation is investing €20 million to support research at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg—a partnership that focuses on daring science. Starting in 2026, projects will be funded for five years that break new ground and therefore have the potential to deliver substantial leaps in our knowledge.
“We are thrilled to take our long-standing, successful collaboration with the NOMIS Foundation to a new level,” says ISTA President Martin Hetzer. “With this joint program, ...