High levels of a specific enzyme in fetuses linked to anxiety
Mouse embryos with the human enzyme CYP2C19 in the brain develop a smaller hippocampus and anxiety-like behaviour as adults. The results of this new study, which is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, agree in principle with earlier genetic findings in humans, and can improve science’s understanding of the genetic factors behind depression and anxiety disorders and contribute to the development of new anti-anxiety drugs.Scientists have long been searching for the genetic reasons for the great differences in sensitivity that people show towards depression and anxiety disorders.