Your anxiety may be controlled by hidden immune cells in the brain
Originally published by University of Utah Health , on November 13, 2025 Researchers have uncovered surprising evidence that anxiety may be controlled not by neurons but by two dueling groups of immune cells inside the brain. These microglia act like biological pedals—one pushing anxiety forward and the other holding it back. Two opposing groups of brain-immune cells were found to dramatically influence anxiety by either amplifying or reducing anxious behaviors. The discovery could shift future psychiatric treatments toward targeting microglia. Credit: Shutterstock Anxiety disorders affect roughly one in five people in the United States , making them among the most widespread mental health challenges . Although common, scientists still have many questions about how anxiety begins and is controlled within the brain . New research from the University of Utah has now pinpointed two unexpected groups of brain cells in mice that behave like "accelerators" and "...