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Anxious mice lack serotonin receptor December 8, 1998 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -- Genetically engineered mice that lack a certain type of brain receptor for the chemical serotonin become timid and anxious, hugging the side of their cage, avoiding new objects and spending more time in the nest than exploring, according to a new study. In other tests, the animals acted as if they had been treated with antidepressant drugs, showing more activity when faced with a stressful situation, according to California researchers who developed a breed of mice that lacked the serotonin receptor 5-HT1A. The finding may shed light on how serotonin affects human anxiety and depression, as well as help determine how psychiatric drugs affect human emotion, according to the report in the December 7th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. There are 14 different receptors that bind serotonin in the brain, but many antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs are non-specific and affect many different serotonin receptors. "If we understood which of the serotonin receptor subtypes contributed to these antidepressant and anxiety-reducing effects, then we might be able to develop more selective drugs with improved effectiveness and fewer side effects." said senior author Dr. Laurence H. Tecott of the University of California, San Francisco in a statement issued by the university. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1998;95:15049-15054.