A first-of-its-kind study from the University of South Carolina discovered the way we process emotions doesn’t have to impact our lives as much as we thought.
A new study from experts at the University of South Carolina, which was published this evening in the online journal Science, examines how relevant emotional experiences, including chronic stress and drug use, lead to long-lasting behaviour changes and whether this can be changed.
‘By understanding this process, we hope to get better insights into how changes in the brain can lead to maladaptive changes in behaviour,’ said Christopher Cowan PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience. ‘We could also improve our fundamental understanding of how the brain works and how emotions and emotionally relevant experiences help to shape brain circuits.’
Within the study, which saw experts test their theories on a group of mice, they began by looking at the genetic regulatory mechanism – how a cell functions and responds to environmental changes.
In a nutshell, all cells within an individual contain essentially the same genes, however different genes can be ‘turned on’ at different times. This allows our bodies to adapt to a changing environment.
However, in order for cells to work, a specific type of regulatory molecules are needed – these are otherwise known as long non-coding RNAs. The university team focused on long non-coding enhancer RNA – a molecule that helps form unique structures known as R-loops. These are created by forming an RNA:DNA ‘sandwich’ in regulatory regions of a target gene.
To understand this better, the team applied their knowledge to an upsetting situation that could lead to permanent behavioural changes – the loss of a loved one. The specific behaviours analysed were turning to drug use and a response to chronic stress.
Although, when the researchers blocked the formation of R Loops in mice, they found they didn’t show a preference for drugs. What’s more, when a similar action was performed in the prefrontal cortex, mice didn’t develop behaviours mimicking stress-induced anhedonia.
‘You need a change in the genetic basis of how everything is working and what is being transcribed, what is being formed in the cell to form stronger neutral circuits that underlie behaviour,’ said Rose Marie Akiki, a PhD student at the University of South Carolina, who also took part in the research.
‘I didn’t think that evolution would favour a different mechanism for neurones. We found that neurones, like immune cells, can respond to stimulus through the formation of an R-loop.’
With these findings in mind, the research team now wants to understand how ubiquitous this genetic regulatory mechanism is in the brain.
Makoto Taniguchi PhD, assistant professor in the Department for Neuroscience, said: ‘If this really is a general mechanism, we want to see how stable it is and how it gets disrupted in pathological conditions.’
Echoing a similar tone, Professor Cowan added: ‘This is a new way of thinking about how genes can be turned on.’
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