Calcium surges in brain immune cells may switch anxiety on and off

Researchers had previously discovered a population of immune cells within the brain that can act as accelerators and brakes for anxiety in mice. Now, new research from the lab of Mario Capecchi, Ph.D., professor of human genetics at University of Utah Health and 2007 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, has identified calcium as a key chemical signal that triggers these immune cells during obsessive-compulsive and anxiety-related behaviors in healthy mice, as well as in a mouse model of obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) and chronic anxiety.