Just thought I would share this article I read...

American researchers have indentified a new target area in the brain for anti-anxiety drugs.

They report their finding in the October issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The discovery may lead to new kinds of non-addictive anti-anxiety drugs with fewer side effects.

Mice missing an enzyme called protein kinase Ce (PKCe) had a significantly lower anxiety and stress compared to normal mice, the study says.

The researchers believe this finding can be applied to humans and help in creating better drugs to reat anxiety disorders.

"To conduct this study, we studied a strain of mouse that lacks an enzyme called protein kinase Ce (PKCe). Earlier work showed that this enzyme interacts with GABA A receptors in the brain. As activation of GABA A receptors reduces anxiety, we tested whether PKCe deficiency reduces anxiety. This research demonstrated that a complete absence of the enzyme greatly reduces anxiety", says study co-author Jacob Raber, an assistant professor if behavioral neuroscience at the Oregeon Health and Science Unviersity School of Medicine.

"While there are anxiety medications such as Valium currently on the market, these pharmaceuticals often act as a sedative. Even more concerning, many anxiety medication are addictive in nature. We believe this enzyme may be an ideal drug target for medications without serious effects," Raber says.

He and his collegues compared the responses of mice bred to lack PKCe and normal mice to various settings and conditions. Mice lacking PKCe were less timid about being in open, lighted areas and showed less stress when placed in a confined space for a limited time.

An estimated 30 million American suffer from anxiety severe enough to require treatment.

SOURCE: Oregon Health and Science Unversity, news release, Oct. 3 2002.

VERY INTERESTING Silvana! (I'm a Science geek! LOL!)

Something to look forward to. Thanks for the post.