Genes may make some people more prone to anxiety

August 11, 2008

Carriers of a common gene variation startled more dramatically in response to unpleasant pictures

WASHINGTON - Inborn differences may help explain why trauma gives some people bad memories and others the nightmare of post-traumatic stress. Scientists in Germany and the United States have reported evidence linking genes to anxious behavior. The findings appear in the August issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological Association.

By showing that people who carry a common variation of a gene that regulates the neurotransmitter dopamine have an exaggerated "startle" reflex when viewing unpleasant pictures, the researchers offer a biochemical explanation for why some people find it harder to regulate emotional arousal. Their sensitivity may, in combination with other hereditary and environmental factors, make them more prone to anxiety disorders.

Researchers including Martin Reuter, PhD, of the University of Bonn, Germany, recruited 96 women averaging 22 years old from the Giessen Gene Brain Behavior Project, which investigates biomolecular causes of individual differences in behavior.

The researchers first determined which participants carried which variations (alleles) of the COMT gene, which encodes an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, weakening its signal. (COMT stands for a catabolic enzyme named catechol-O-methyltransferase.) Scientists call its two alleles Val158 and Met158. Depending on ethnicity, more or less half the population carries one copy of each. The rest of the population is roughly divided between carrying two copies of Val158 and two copies of Met158.

Using a well-validated psychophysiological measure, the researchers next measured the intensity of each participant's startle response by attaching electrodes to the eye muscles that, upon emotional arousal, contract and cause a blink. Participants then viewed pictures that were emotionally pleasant (such as animals or babies), neutral (such as a power outlet or hairdryer), or aversive (such as weapons or injured victims at a crime scene) -- 12 pictures of each type for six seconds each. A loud, 35-millisecond white noise, called a startle probe, sounded at random while they watched. When participants blinked, showing the startle response, a bioamplifier took readings from the electrodes and sent the information to a computer for analysis.

People carrying two copies of the Met158 allele of the COMT gene showed a significantly stronger startle reflex in the unpleasant-picture condition than did carriers of either two copies of Val158 allele or one copy of each. The two-Met carriers also disclosed greater anxiety on a standard personality test.

This finding confirms that specific variations in the gene that regulates dopamine signaling may play a role in negative emotionality. The authors speculated that the Met158 allele may raise levels of circulating dopamine in the brain's limbic system, a set of structures that support (among other things) memory, emotional arousal and attention. The researchers said that more dopamine in the prefrontal cortex could result in an "inflexible attentional focus" on unpleasant stimuli, meaning that Met158 carriers can't tear themselves away from something that's arousing -- even if it's bad.

The Met158 allele was created by a relatively recent mutation and only in the evolution of human beings. Other primate species such as chimpanzees carry only the Val/Val genotype. Co-author Christian Montag, Dipl. Psych., observes that for humans, wariness may have been adaptive. He points out, "It was an advantage to be more anxious in a dangerous environment."

A single gene variation, says Montag, can explain only a small portion of variation in anxious behavior - otherwise, in theory, up to half the population could be anxious.

"This single gene variation is potentially only one of many factors influencing such a complex trait as anxiety," he says. "Still, to identify the first candidates for genes associated with an anxiety-prone personality is a step in the right direction."

Although a great deal more research is needed, Montag says that if this line of research bears fruit, one day "it might be possible to prescribe the right dose of the right drug, relative to genetic makeup, to treat anxiety disorders."

American Psychological Association

---

---

	The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It by Margaret Wehrenberg (Author) A strategy-filled handbook to understand, manage, and conquer your own stress.Anxiety disorders-grouped into three main categories: panic, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety-are among the most common and pervasive mental health complaints. From the subtlest effect of sweaty palms during a work presentation to the more severe symptom of reclusion, anxiety casts a wide net. Medication, once considered the treatment of choice, is losing favor as more and more sufferers complain of unpleasant side effects and its temporary, quick-fix nature. Now, thanks to a flood of fresh neurobiology research and insights...
	The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne PhD (Author) The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook has already helped over one million readers make a full and lasting recovery from generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other anxiety-related issues. Packed with the most effective skills for assessing and treating anxiety, this workbook can be used alone or as a supplement to therapy to help you develop a full arsenal of skills for quieting worried thoughts and putting yourself back in control. This new edition has been thoroughly updated with the latest anxiety research and medications, and also includes new therapeutic techniques that have been proven effective for the treatment of anxiety and anxiety-related conditions. Each worksheet in this book will help you learn the skills...
	The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-by-Step Program by William J. Knaus EdD (Author), Jon Carlson PsyD EdD (Foreword) When anxious feelings spiral out of control, they can drain your energy and prevent you from living the life you want. If you're ready to stop letting your anxiety have the upper hand, The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety can help. This workbook offers a step-by-step program you can use, on your own or with a therapist, to end anxiety and get back to living a rich and productive life.With this book, you'll develop a personal plan using techniques from rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), powerful treatment methods proven to be even more effective in the long term than anxiety medication. You'll learn to recognize your anxiety triggers, develop skills to stop anxious thoughts before they get out of control, and stop needless fears from...
	When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Therapy That Can Change Your Life by David D. Burns M.D. (Author) Are you plagued by fears, phobias, or panic attacks? Do you toss and turn at night with a knot in your stomach, worrying about your job, your family, work, your health, or relationships? Do you suffer from crippling shyness, obsessive doubts, or feelings of insecurity? What you may not realize is that these fears are almost never based on reality. Anxiety is one of the world’s oldest cons. When you’re anxious, you’re actually fooling yourself. You are telling yourself things that simply aren’t true. See if you can recognize yourself in any of these distortions: All-or-Nothing Thinking: “My mind will go blank when I give my presentation at work, and everyone will think I’m an idiot.” Fortune Telling: “I just know I’ll freeze up and blow it when I take my...
	Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety by Troy DuFrene MA (Author), Kelly Wilson PhD (Author) You don't need a book to tell you this much: Sometimes things fall apart, crack open, and miss the mark. You can plan and strategize and keep your eye on the horizon, watching for trouble. And nothing you can do will protect you from the fact that things might, when you least expect it, go terribly, horribly wrong. If you're anxious about this, it's not like you don't have a reason. If you're very anxious about this, you're certainly not alone. In fact, even if your whole life feels like it's about anxiety, your story is a lot more common that you might imagine.If you could just get your anxiety to go away, you could get on with the business of living your life, right? Well, maybe — or maybe not. Does anxiety need to go away in order for you to live your life fully, vitally, with...
	A Life Less Anxious: Freedom from panic attacks and social anxiety without drugs or therapy by Steve Pavilanis (Author), Patricia Alma Lee (Contributor) Do you have a tremendous fear of public speaking, flying, or other social situations? Do you live in fear of having another panic attack? Do you depend on antidepressants, alcohol, or other medications to calm you down or help you sleep? If so, you're not alone. Tens of millions of Americans are affected by anxiety disorders and many more worldwide. I personally struggled for five years with extreme social anxiety and panic attacks, constantly battling my own scary and seemingly uncontrollable thoughts. I finally found the path to freedom from excessive worry, medication, and fear. I have overcome these problems and now live my life with a greater sense of inner peace and calmness. I'm not a medical doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist of any sort. I am simply a normal guy whose life was...
	The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by John P. Forsyth (Author), Georg H. Eifert (Author) Attempts to manage your thoughts or get rid of worry, fear, and panic can leave you feeling frustrated and powerless. But you can take back your life from anxiety without controlling anxious thoughts and feelings. You can stop avoiding anxiety and start showing up to your life. The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety will get you started, using a revolutionary new approach called acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT.The book has one purpose: to help you live better, more fully, more richly. Your life is calling on you to make that choice, and the skills in this workbook can help you make it happen. Find out how your mind can trap you, keeping you stuck and struggling in anxiety and fear. Learn to nurture your capacity for acceptance, mindfulness, kindness, and compassion....
	What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (What to Do Guides for Kids) by Dawn Huebner (Author), Bonnie Matthews (Illustrator) Guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of anxiety. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering kids to overcome their overgrown worries.
	The Mindful Way through Anxiety: Break Free from Chronic Worry and Reclaim Your Life by Susan M. Orsillo PhD (Author), Lizabeth Roemer PhD (Author), Zindel V. Segal PhD (Foreword)   You can't just "get over" anxiety. In fact, the very things most people do to try to feel better--avoiding feared situations, pushing worry out of mind--only make the problem worse. Leading psychologists Susan M. Orsillo and Lizabeth Roemer present a powerful new alternative that can help you break free of anxiety by fundamentally changing how you relate to it. With clarity and compassion, this book describes clinically tested mindfulness practices specifically tailored for anxiety in its many forms. Learn step-by-step strategies for gaining awareness of anxious feelings without letting them escalate; loosening the grip of worry and fear; and achieving a new level of emotional and physical well-being. Free audio downloads of mindfulness exercises plus other resources are available at...
	Coping with Anxiety: 10 Simple Ways to Relieve Anxiety, Fear & Worry by Edmund J. Bourne (Author), Lorna Garano (Author) These immediate, user-friendly, and effective strategies are designed to help you overcome anxiety. They include step-by-step exercises that you can do in the moment without having to understand the subtleties of the most often used therapies for treating anxiety.