Side view illustration of the brain. (IMAGE) Tufts University Caption “Our findings suggest that the behavioral deficits following chronic stress involve impaired neurosteroid synthesis and signaling,” says lead author Najah Walton, a PhD student in neuroscience at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “We found that mice subjected to chronic unpredictable stress had an impairment in allopregnanolone production within the basolateral amygdala, a brain region crucial for mediating emotional responses.” Credit Credit: National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health Usage Restrictions No restrictions. License Public Domain Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.