'Bullied' Mice Show Genetic Changes In Brains (depression?)

[The Straight Story]

'Bullied' Mice Show Genetic Changes In Brains

POSTED: 1:59 pm EST February 10, 2006
UPDATED: 2:02 pm EST February 10, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Scientists watching big mice intimidate small ones have discovered the stress spurs genetic changes in the brain -- a finding that may help research into depression and other mental illnesses.

The experiment suggested a part of the brain linked to addiction also plays a previously unsuspected role in illnesses characterized by chronic anxiety and social withdrawal, Texas researchers report in the journal Science.

In fact, a substance produced in the brain, called BDNF, seems to be the culprit, controlling whether the bullied mice turned into fearful hermits or not.

Neuroscientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center wanted to test the role of the brain's "reward pathway" in depression-like behavior.

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