BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Stressing out over depression and anxiety

February 14, 2013 8:00 AM UTC

Two teams have shown that enhanced glucocorticoid signaling in the brain triggers aberrant behavior in mouse models of depression and anxiety.1,2 The groups are now using the mice to study the mechanisms underlying the effect and determine whether blocking glucocorticoid signaling can treat neuropsychiatric diseases.

All mammals respond to stress by releasing glucocorticoids from the adrenal glands. Although that stress mechanism is beneficial when it facilitates the fight or flight response, chronic activation of the glucocorticoid response can trigger multiple neuropsychiatric disorders in humans, including pathological anxiety, depression and addiction...