How oxytocin and vasopressin receptors change brain circuits that drive anxiety
Official title: The Integrated Role of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Receptors in the Modulation of BNST Activity and Fear Processing
Funded at Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci · NIH-11094729 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether two brain receptors, oxytocin and vasopressin, change activity in a fear-related brain circuit and could point to new ways to help people with anxiety disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (North Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | May 12, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $459,403 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH113007-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11094729 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with anxiety disorders—particularly those with persistent hypervigilance or exaggerated responses to uncertain threats, such as some forms of generalized anxiety or PTSD—would be the most relevant candidates for this line of research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate symptom relief or those whose anxiety stems primarily from non-BNST causes (for example, largely social or cognitive triggers) are unlikely to get direct benefit from this early-stage work.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers are studying a deep-brain region called the BNST that becomes overactive in anxiety and sends signals to the amygdala to produce ongoing fear. In animals they will turn on or block oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in the BNST and watch how those changes affect nerve signaling and fear-like behaviors. The team will link those animal findings to human brain imaging evidence showing BNST overactivity in anxious people. Together the work aims to reveal whether these receptors could be targets for new anti-anxiety drugs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify new drug targets that reduce excessive threat-related brain signaling and relieve hypervigilance in anxiety disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and human imaging studies have implicated the BNST in anxiety and early lab data suggest oxytocin receptors can reduce BNST output, but translating these findings into treatments is still novel and unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci
North Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dabrowska, Joanna — Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci
- Study coordinator: Dabrowska, Joanna
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.