Repeated cross-fostering mouse pups to adoptive lactating females induces epigenetic modification and heightened mRNA-expression of the acid-sensing-ion-channel-1 gene, altered nociception, and hypersensitivity to 6% carbon dioxide air mixtures, a trait marker of specific human anxiety disorders such as, most clearly and prominently, panic disorder.
Our findings support previously reported associations between ASIC1 and panic/anxiety, but not other genes previously associated with anxiety disorders.
Although the ACCN2 gene may play a role in rodent fear conditioning, we could not detect association with genetic risk shared among human anxiety spectrum disorders.