New Study Reveals Brain Stress Circuit Malfunction in Schizophrenia
What Happened
Researchers from the University of Sydney found that the FKBP5 stress-response gene is more active in the brains of people with schizophrenia. The study showed that chemical markers that normally keep the gene under control were missing, causing an exaggerated response to stress hormones such as cortisol.
Key Takeaways
The findings suggest that an overactive stress system may contribute to schizophrenia and could open the door to new treatments that target the FKBP5 gene and the brain’s stress-response pathways.