Brain, so it can get sick from stress: study opens up new treatments

A study of evolutionary medicine sheds light on the mechanisms that have made the brain of man (and of great apes) more complex and at the same time more vulnerable, in particular more at risk of reacting to stress by developing psychiatric diseases. The work, published in the ‘Journal of Neuroscience’ and coordinated by the State University of Milan, opens up to the identification of new therapeutic strategies against these disorders. Evolutionary medicine – they explain from UniMi – is an approach of biomedical research that intends to contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary path that has brought human beings to their current state. This type of investigation is a valuable tool for understanding the evolution of the more complex functions of the human brain, such as emotions, language and creativity, but also of the mechanisms underlying some specific pathologies of the organ. It is this approach that has guided the study of the group of Elena Battaglioli and Francesco Rusconi, of the Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine of the University, mainly conducted by Chiara Forastieri with the collaboration of Beatrice Bodega and Valeria Ranzani. The work describes “a relevant molecular process unique to higher primates and humans, thanks to which the RbFOX1 factor evolvesively acquires the ability to regulate brain levels of LSD1, a known regulator of the response to environmental stress. In this way the two RbFOX1 and LSD1 enzymes, particularly expressed in the brain and already characterized by their independent homeostatic role in protecting excitatory neurons and circuits related to the control of emotions, become able to collaborate in the human brain. This contributes to considerably increasing the molecular complexity of cognitive-emotional processes necessary for adaptation to the environment. The upside of the coin is that, as the complexity of a system increases, its vulnerability also increases “. According to the authors, “this research may contribute to understanding some of the pathological processes triggered by strong emotional stress that lead to the development of psychiatric drifts and to highlight new possible pharmacological targets”.