Early life stress plus overexpressed FKBP5 protein increases anxiety behavior

A new preclinical study finds that anxiety-like behavior increases when early life adversity combines with high levels of FKBP5 -- a protein capable of modifying hormonal stress response. Moreover, the researchers demonstrate this genetic-early life stress interaction amplifies anxiety by selectively altering signaling of the enzyme AKT in the dorsal hippocampus, a portion of the brain primarily responsible for cognitive functions like learning and memory.