Pretty huge news and opens up some exciting new possibilities for treatment, as well as hopefully helping to eliminate some of the stigmas associated with mental illness.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...n-8724471.html
Quote:
However, scientists have now discovered that the protein receptor CRF1 is responsible for releasing hormones which can cause anxiety and depression over extended periods of time. The protein receptor is found in the brain and controls our response to stress. When it detects stress molecules released by the hypothalamus, it releases these hormones.
The information gained from this study will be used to design small molecule drugs that fit into this new pocket to treat depression.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Dr Fiona Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer at Heptares Therapeutics, said: “Now we know its shape, we can design a molecule that will lock into this crevice and block it so that CRF1 becomes inactive — ending the biochemical cascade that ends in stress.”
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