Behaviour is affected by stress, but the mechanisms and molecules underlying this have been mysterious. Marianne Müller and Theo Rein at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany, and their colleagues have pinpointed a gene, Drr1, that is upregulated in mouse brain cells when the animal is under stress. This reduces the growth of neuronal projections, or neurites, and renders the neurons less able to form strong connections.
The researchers found that the DRR1 protein binds to, stabilizes and bundles actin — a protein that forms filaments that are vital for neurite growth. Overexpression of the protein lowered the number and length of neurites in mouse neurons.
Surprisingly, mice with elevated levels of DRR1 performed better in memory tests than normal mice, but the mechanism by which this occurs is not clear.
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Stress alters brain connections. Nature 478, 159 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/478159d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/478159d
