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Appear neuronal disorders as anxiety, aggressiveness, schizophrenia o depression there is no need for "disaster" to occur in the the brainbut a light imbalance enter neurotransmitters, molecules that allow the exchange of information between neurons.
This is one of the conclusions of a work done in mice that is published in Cellular reports, in which its authors, led by scientists from the Institute of Neuroscience of Alicante, note that behind that "imbalance"in the neural circuit is the Grik4 gene, especially an excessive dose of it.
To maintain a function brain adequate regulation of the balance between synaptic transmission – communication between neurons– exciter and inhibitor, which would be the equivalent of "accelerator and brake", respectively, of the nervous system, remember the institute in a note.
This is achieved with the release of adequate doses of chemicals or neurotransmitters of one or the other type – among them, serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, adrenaline, GABA or glutamate.
When the dose of one of them is not adequate, the balanced in the circuit breaks down and appear pathologies like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or autism, explained researcher Juan Lerma, of the synaptic physiology group of the Institute of Neuroscience.
"We found in the tonsil brain – related to aggression, emotions, depression or anxiety – that overexpression of the Grik4 gene in the neurons that make up the circuit reduces the intensity of the 39, effectiveness of communication between those neurons"explained Lerma.
He also explained that it is a slight change, not drastic, but enough for behavior problems to appear, "what attracts attention". In particular, Grik4 gene It is essential to regulate the recipients of neurotransmitter Excitatory Glutamate, related to sensory, motor and emotional information, and memory.
This research highlights that the behavioral alterations that characterize pathologies such as anxiety, the depression, the schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or autism may have a common mechanism: an excess of the release rate of the principal neurotransmitter Exciter of the central nervous system, glutamate. And the manifestations that characterize them would depend on the area of the brain affected by this imbalance, in this case the amygdala. brain.
"We have reproduced in mouse models the duplication of a fragment of chromosome 11, which contains the gene Grik4, who is known to occur in autism, and we have seen that it has an effect on mice behavior similar to what happens in humans, "said Lerma.
Rodents carrying this duplication show signs of depression, anxiety and the alterations in social behavior characteristic of people with autism spectrum disorders.
Although this is basic research and there is a lot of work to be done, "our results point out that the remaining aberrant activity in the circuits brain can be the basis of disruptive behavior associated with mental illness in humans. "
FM
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