Microglia: Key Player in Anxiety and OCD Control.

Microglia, a minor cell type in the brain, have been found to regulate anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) behaviors by acting as both a "brake" and "accelerator". Using optogenetics, researchers stimulated different microglia populations in the brain and found that specific microglia populations activate anxiety and OCSD behaviors while others dampen them. These findings could lead to targeted therapeutic approaches for excessive anxiety and OCSD behaviors.