About a dozen years ago, scientists discovered that a hormone called ghrelin enhances appetite. Dubbed the “hunger hormone,” it was quickly targeted by drug companies seeking treatments for obesity—none of which have yet panned out.
MIT neuroscientists have now discovered that ghrelin’s role goes far beyond stimulating hunger. The researchers found that ghrelin released during chronic stress makes the brain more vulnerable to emotional trauma, suggesting that it may predispose people to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This means that drugs that reduce ghrelin levels could help protect people who are at high risk for PTSD, such as soldiers serving in war, says Ki Goosens, an assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the findings in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Stress is a useful response to dangerous situations because it provokes action to escape or fight back. However, when stress is chronic, it can produce anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. During stressful situations, the stomach increases its production of ghrelin, which travels throughout the body and boosts the release of growth hormone in the amygdala, a brain structure that plays a critical role in processing fear and other emotions.
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