Potential new strategy for relieving anxiety

Understanding the neural circuits that drive anxiety may help researchers discover circuit-specific targets and therefore increase the precision of treatment strategies. Previous studies have separately suggested that increased serotonin levels and the cerebellum may play roles in anxiety. To explore the relationship between these ideas, Pei Chin, from the University of Pennsylvania, and George Augustine, from Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, probed whether serotonin in the cerebellum causes anxiety behavior in mice. Contrary to previous findings, mice displaying anxiety-like behavior had lower amounts of cerebellar serotonin, while less anxious mice had increased serotonin in the cerebellum. Chin and Augustine then discovered that they could bidirectionally influence anxiety behavior by artificially stimulating or inhibiting the neurons that release serotonin into the cerebellum. According to the authors, this newfound role of cerebellar serotonin as a “brake” to alleviate anxiety is informative for work in more advanced animal models and the development of new treatment strategies. 

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About JNeurosci

JNeurosci was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.

About The Society for Neuroscience

The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 35,000 members in more than 95 countries.