科学家已经确定了老鼠大脑中焦虑的物理来源

科学家已经确定了老鼠大脑中焦虑的物理来源

We're not wired to feel safe all the time, but maybe one day we could be.

我们并不总是感到安全，但也许有一天我们会感到安全。

A 2018 study investigating the neurological basis of anxiety in the brain has identified 'anxiety cells' located in the hippocampus of mice – which not only regulate anxious behaviour but can be controlled by a beam of light.

2018年的一项研究调查了大脑中焦虑的神经基础，发现老鼠海马中有“焦虑细胞”，不仅可以调节焦虑行为，还可以通过光束控制。

The findings, so far demonstrated in experiments with lab mice, could offer a ray of hope for the millions of people worldwide who experience anxiety disorders (including almost one in five adults in the US), by leading to new drugs that silence these anxiety-controlling neurons.

到目前为止，这一发现已经在实验室老鼠的实验中得到了证实，它可以为全世界数百万患有焦虑症的人(包括美国近五分之一的成年人)带来一线希望，由此研发的新药，可以抑制焦虑的神经元。

To find out, the team used a technique called calcium imaging, inserting miniature microscopes into the brains of lab mice to record the activity of cells in the hippocampus as the animals made their way around their enclosures.

为了找到答案，研究小组使用了一种叫做钙成像的技术，将微型显微镜插入实验鼠的大脑中，以记录动物在围场中行进时海马体中细胞的活动。

The team built special mazes where some paths led to open spaces and elevated platforms – exposed environments known to induce anxiety in mice, due to increased vulnerability to predators.

该团队建造了一些特殊的迷宫，其中一些路径通向开阔的空间和升高的平台——暴露的环境会引起老鼠的焦虑，因为它们更容易受到捕食者的攻击。

Away from the safety of walls, something went off in the mice's heads – with the researchers observing cells in a part of the hippocampus called ventral CA1 (vCA1) firing up, and the more anxious the mice behaved, the greater the neuron activity became.

离开了安全的细胞壁，老鼠的大脑发生了变化——研究人员观察到海马体中被称为腹侧CA1 (vCA1)的部分细胞开始活跃，老鼠表现得越焦虑，神经元的活动就越强烈。

By changing the light settings, the researchers were also able to enhance the activity of the anxiety cells, making the animals quiver even when safely ensconced in enclosed, walled surroundings – not that the team necessarily thinks vCA1 is the only brain region involved here.

通过改变光线的设置，研究人员还能够增强焦虑细胞的活动，使动物即使安全地安坐在封闭的、有围墙的环境中也会颤抖——这并不是说研究小组一定认为vCA1是这里涉及的唯一大脑区域。

"These cells are probably just one part of an extended circuit by which the animal learns about anxiety-related information," Kheirbek told NPR, highlighting other neural cells justify additional study too.

“这些细胞可能只是动物学习焦虑相关信息的扩展回路的一部分，”Kheirbek告诉美国国家公共电台(NPR)，并强调了其他神经细胞也有必要进行额外的研究。

In any case, the next steps will be to find out whether the same control switch is what regulates human anxiety – and based on what we know about the brain similarities with mice, it seems plausible.

无论如何，下一步将是找出是否相同的控制开关控制人类的焦虑——基于我们对老鼠大脑的相似之处的了解，这似乎是合理的。

If that pans out, these results could open a big new research lead into ways to treat various anxiety conditions.

如果这一结论得到证实，这些研究结果将为治疗各种焦虑症开辟一条新的研究方向。

And that's something we should all be grateful for.

这是我们都应该感激的。