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The Science Media Centre asked a pharmacologist to comment on a paper published in the journal Science on a gene that may be related to mood and anxiety disorders common in human populations.
Dr Sarah J. Bailey, Dept. of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of Bath, said:
“This interesting new research demonstrates for the first time that BDNF plays a role in anxiety behaviours in mice. Also, mice with this BDNF mutation do not respond to the anxiety-reducing effects of SSRIs.
“Studies in humans have identified BDNF as a candidate gene in some types of depression. One of the ways that antidepressants (SSRIs) are now thought to work is through promoting nerve cell growth via the action of BDNF. It would be very interesting to see if there were any alterations in depression-related behaviours in these BDNF mutant mice.”