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You Can Soon Switch off Your Anxiety
Asian News International, Washington
August 19, 2004
Researchers have found that a protein switch in the brain helps to enhance wakefulness and reduces anxiety levels. The finding could help in the understanding of sleep disorders, anxiety and depression.
According to Rainer Reinscheid and his colleagues, the protein, which they named neuropeptide S (NPS) is produced in brain cells which regulate activity in a person.
"Sleep disorders and anxiety affect millions of people. Identifying and understanding the molecular regulators and neurocircuitries that are involved in sleep/wake cycles or arousal and anxious states are keys to the development of therapeutic targets for these diseases," the researchers were quoted as saying.
In their studies, Reinscheid and his colleagues sought to understand the function of a protein receptor and its triggering molecule called neuropeptides which exist in the brain and are known to regulate an array of brain functions.
The researchers concluded that "the discovery of this novel transmitter system that modulates sleep-wake cycles and anxiety might help to further our understanding of sleep disorders, such as insomnia, and pathological states of anxiety."
It should be noted that excessive anxiety and disruption of sleep patterns are often observed in patients suffering from depression," they added.
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