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August 3, 2007
Innate fear is often healthy. It keeps us alive. However, sometimes it can take over and become debilitating. Now, new research published this week in the journal, Biological Psychiatry, provides researchers at the University of Iowa with a clue to what controls this type of fear -- a protein called acid sensing ion channel protein (ASIC1a).
The researchers focused on ASIC1a because they knew from earlier work that it was involved in learned fear. But the mechanisms for innate fear remained largely unknown. To determine if ASIC1a was important for the innate fear response the researchers made mice that didn't express the ASIC1a gene and then tested their behavior, along with normal mice in a variety of scenarios.
They found that mice without ASIC1a became mighty mice. They were less fearful of open spaces, loud noises, and predator odors than normal mice. "These lab animals have never been exposed to a predator," said Matthew Coryell, a graduate student, and, "Disrupting the gene reduced unconditioned, innate fear in mice."
The researchers found that ASIC1a is found in brain regions that are critical for fear behaviors and responses. This suggests says the researchers that because the gene is found primarily in braing regions involved in fear, targeting the ASIC1a protein might lead to treatments for anxiety with fewer side effects than currrent treatments.
Further examination of this protein could also lead to treatments for other psychiatric disorders as well, "Anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, are closely related. Some anxiety treatments often are effective for depression and vice versa," says John Wemmie, team leader and assistant professor of psychiatry.
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