Calcium Sparks in Brain's Immune Cells Fuel Anxiety and Compulsive Grooming
TL;DR
University of Louisville researchers reveal that calcium signaling within Hoxb8 microglia, a brain immune cell type, acts as a switch for anxiety and compulsive grooming in mice. Artificially increasing calcium triggers these behaviors, while blocking calcium entry prevents them, implicating microglial calcium homeostasis as a potential target for neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism and OCD.
- Brain Immune Cells Drive Compulsive Behavior Neuroscience News
- Brain immune cells found to regulate anxiety and grooming behaviors News-Medical
- Anxiety may be regulated by calcium signaling in brain immune cells BioTechniques
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