Mystery of the floating mouse solved
Japanese researchers discover a single gene linked to depression, fear, and anxiety
Neuroscientist Mohieldin Youssef gently lowers a mouse into a bucket of water, watching it swim and frantically try to escape. Then Youssef takes another mouse — an animal genetically altered where a single gene was deleted. The mouse simply floats listlessly on the surface of the water. With no will to fight for survival, it’s a tell-tale sign that the mouse is depressed.
These experiments are part of work conducted by Tadashi Yamamoto and colleagues studying the genetics of anxiety and depression. In the mid 1990s, Yamamoto discovered a gene that the lab called Tob, after the Japanese word tobu — to fly or jump.
The Tob gene kicks in under stressful stimuli and when it’s removed or faulty, seems to be linked to depression, fear, and anxiety.
“The Tob gene is related to many different phenomena but working on the brain system is particularly challenging,” said Yamamoto.
“Although it was previously suspected, this research is the first work that clarifies that Tob has a function in the brain against stress.”
Youssef and Yamamoto released a new study in the journal of Translational Psychiatry documenting a series of experiments showing just how critical Tob is for…
