Genes could explain why women are more prone to stress-related anxiety and mood disorders. US researchers have pinpointed a variation in a gene which controls regulation of a key brain chemical linked to mood. Their work, on monkeys, suggests people with this variant may be more likely to react badly to negative experiences. The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers focused on a particular variant of the gene, known as the s allele.
