J. Neurosci. 30, 2571–2581 (2010)

Stress or trauma in very early life can lead to anxiety and depression in adulthood, and previous evidence has implicated corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) as a contributor to this outcome.

Louis Muglia of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and his colleagues have narrowed down CRH's involvement using mice in which they could control expression of the hormone in the forebrain. When the reseachers raised CRH levels during the first 21 days after birth, the mice went on to show anxious and despairing behaviours as adults. These behaviours could be normalized with antidepressants.

The mice could serve as a model to help find a means of preventing long-term consequences of childhood stress.