Iron-dependent brain reshaping links social isolation to anxiety.

Bush, Ashley I · Cell Metab · 2026

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Social isolation is a rising public health threat linked to anxiety, yet its brain mechanisms remain unclear. Wang et al.<sup>1</sup> uncover a glucocorticoid-iron-α-synuclein axis in ventral hippocampal neurons that drives maladaptive synaptic remodeling-termed "ferroplasticity"-and anxiety, pioneering new therapeutic entry points.

Medical subject headings