With the help of a particle accelerator with incredibly powerful x-ray abilities, scientists have located the molecule responsible for anxiety, stress, and depression.br br With the help of a particle accelerator with incredibly powerful x-ray abilities, scientists have located the molecule responsible for anxiety, stress, and depression. br br They’ve long known that the unwelcome feelings were triggered by chemicals released from the pituitary gland, but were unaware of what, exactly, was causing their production. br br To find out they analyzed one of the protein receptors they’ve suspected as being responsible for making people feel bad – CRF1. br br The accelerator allowed them to study in great detail the protein receptor’s structure and determined that when CRF1 detects the hypothalamus has released stress molecules, it in turn releases anxiety inducing hormones.br br Now, the team is looking for ways to effectively deactivate the CRF1 receptor, which is located on the outer membranes of pituitary cells, as a treatment for stress, anxiety and depression issues. br br The study was conducted by Heptares Therapeutics and according to their Chief Scientific Officer, “Now we know its shape, we can design a molecule that will lock into this crevice and block it so that CRF1 becomes inactive — ending the biochemical cascade that ends in stress.