| Abstrakt: |
A recent research report from Georgia State University discusses findings on anxiety disorders, specifically focusing on the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its role in social investigation and anxiety-like behavior. The study found that AVP cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) have a sexually differentiated role in controlling these behaviors, with males having more AVP cells than females. The researchers used optogenetic approaches to show that inhibiting AVP BNST cells reduces social investigation in males, while stimulating these cells increases social investigation in both sexes, but more so in males. The study suggests that AVP cells may facilitate male social investigation through their projections to the lateral septum (LS), and blocking the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) in the LS eliminates these responses. This research provides valuable insights into the neurochemistry of anxiety disorders and highlights the importance of considering sex differences in understanding these conditions. [Extracted from the article] |
