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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
UCLA researchers have discovered that astrocytes — brain cells long overshadowed by neurons — play a key role in how stress leads to anxiety and depression. Under chronic stress, these cells in the amygdala develop shorter antenna-like structures called primary cilia. An already FDA-approved MS drug restored these structures in mice and improved stress-related behaviors, hinting at a potential new treatment pathway.
UCLA Health researchers have uncovered a surprising new player in the stress-mental health connection: astrocytes, the brain's "support cells," which have long been overshadowed by neurons in psychiatric research. Published in Nature, the study found that astrocytes in the amygdala — the brain's emotional command center — undergo significant changes during chronic stress, including the shortening of tiny antenna-like structures called primary cilia that help cells sense their environment.
The team used mouse models of chronic stress and found that restoring these cilia — either through targeted receptor manipulation or a drug targeting the S1PR1 receptor — reversed many molecular changes and improved anxiety-like behaviors. Crucially, the S1PR1 receptor is already targeted by ponesimod, an FDA-approved multiple sclerosis drug, which produced similar benefits in stressed mice. Cilium-related gene disruptions were also confirmed in human brain tissue from people with major depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis-related conditions.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Current treatments for anxiety and depression don't work for everyone. This research opens a brand-new therapeutic avenue — targeting glial cells rather than neurons — and leverages an already-approved drug, potentially shortening the path from lab to clinic.
