The effect of iron metabolism on anxiety disorder

Abstract

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common emotional disorders, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. Research has shown that iron deficiency is more common in people with emotional disorders and that these disorders can improve after taking iron supplements. Many factors can cause anxiety disorders, including external stress, genetic factors, impaired neurodevelopment, and abnormal monoamine metabolism. Studies have shown that abnormal monoamine metabolism and impaired neurodevelopment can contribute to the severity of emotional disorders. The synthesis of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) require iron as a cofactor in the synthesis of monoamine metabolism, and the release of epinephrine (E) was potentially associated with labile iron in plasma. At the same time, iron is also directly involved in myelin synthesis as a cofactor in neural development. Therefore, iron maybe involved some of the main causes of the onset of anxiety disorders.

Keywords

iron metabolism / anxiety disorder / neurodevelopment / synaptic plasticity / monoamine