The study examines how various factors affect anxiety disorders in men and women.health

Anx An animal study led by researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine investigated how various factors affect anxiety disorders in men and women.

The team studied male and female rodent models to better understand the gender differences in anxiety-related biological responses. They published their findings in the journal Psychopharmacology.

This study examines how biological factors affect anxiety disorders, especially in women. They found that women’s anxiety increased when there were certain, life-related conditions.

A team led by Dr. Satiane de Oliveira Sergio, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Woodyhop’s lab, a professor of psychiatry, and a senior researcher at the Stark Institute for Neuroscience, to better understand the gender differences in biological responses. I have studied male and female rodent models in association with anxiety.

Anxiety disorders occur in women twice as often as in men, and social and cultural factors are likely to play an important role in the development of anxiety in women, De Oliveira said. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on people’s anxiety.

In June 2020, months after the pandemic, 13% of Americans used or increased substance use to address the emotions and stresses of the then unknowns about the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. started. ..

Deolibeira said that women are more likely to have anxiety than men, and that many women are expanding their role during a pandemic. She said these life-related conditions may have increased their anxiety.

“This work is very important and now provides us with a basis for initiating and investigating even more relevant anxiety behaviors,” said Deolibeira.

Human anxiety is complex, but animal anxiety is based solely on biology. “Biological factors play an important role in these types of mood disorders, but it can be difficult to elucidate the mechanisms that cause human anxiety,” said Deolibeira. “It is important that this rodent study be done to support the development of more effective and personalized therapies.”

Through studies studying both male and female rodent models, they found that females and males were very different in their response to the most life-related aspects associated with anxiety, Hope said. Said.

In one of the behavioral tasks, rodents had to grab a pellet of food in the brightly lit center of a large arena. This creates anxious conflicts, as mice do not like light. In this task, female rats took longer to touch and ate less food than males.

Researchers have also given diazepam, a drug used to treat anxiety, to rodents. It significantly reduced anxiety in women, but had little effect on men when interacting with food.

There were also other measurements that showed similarities between males and females, such as how many times the mouse approached the lit center and how long it stayed there. Therefore, only the part of the most life-related task (food in this case) showed gender differences.

Earlier studies support the idea that women’s anxiety focuses on the most life-related aspects of the situation, Hope said, which is consistent with their findings. For example, both studies showed that females responded more to predator urine than males and were more anxious in the presence of a second rat that roamed freely.

“Knowing that anxiety can manifest itself from a variety of male and female concerns is that women seek better treatment based on gender differences, especially as they adapt to the most life-related conditions. It’s a valuable step towards, “said Deolibeira.

This study was funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is part of the National Institute of Health. (ANI)