Influence of RGS2 on anxiety-related temperament, personality, and brain function.

Context: Although anxiety disorders are heritable, their genetic and phenotypic complexity has made the identification of susceptibility genes difficult. Well-validated animal models and intermediate phenotypes provide crucial tools for genetic dissection of anxiety. The gene encoding regulator of G protein signaling 2 (Rgs2) is a quantitative trait gene that influences mouse anxiety behavior, making its human ortholog (RGS2) a compelling candidate gene for human anxiety phenotypes.

The corticotropin-releasing hormone gene and behavioral inhibition in children at risk for panic disorder.

Background: Behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar (BI) is a heritable temperamental phenotype involving the tendency to display fearful, avoidant, or shy behavior in novel situations. BI is a familial and developmental risk factor for panic and phobic anxiety disorders. We previously observed an association between BI and a microsatellite marker linked to the corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) gene in children at risk for panic disorder.