Brain cells can help people feel brave, deal with anxiety

A certain type of cells in the brain’s hippocampus can help you feel brave and take risks while alleviating anxiety.

Ever wondered why some people comfortably walk between skyscrapers on a high-wire while others freeze at the mere thought of climbing off escalators in a shopping mall? It could be the presence of a certain type of cells in the brain’s hippocampus, a study has found.

The findings showed that neurons known as OLM cells in the hippocampus play a significant role in risk taking behaviour and anxiety. The discovery of these neurons and their role in anxiety and risk-taking may open a path for the development of highly efficient anxiolytics and antidepressants without common side-effects, such as apathy, the researchers said.

The OLM cells, when stimulated, produce a brain rhythm that is present when animals feel safe in a threatening environment (for example, when they are hiding from a predator but aware of the predator’s proximity). OLM cells were the “gatekeepers” of memories in the hippocampus and these cells were very sensitive to nicotine. “This finding may explain why people binge-smoke when they are anxious,” said Richardson Leao, from the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil.

Thus, to act in a single brain region and in a very specific group of cells to control anxiety may be a major breakthrough in treating anxiety and associated disorders like depression, the researchers noted.

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