Modulating fatty acid signaling to restore allopregnanolone balance: A novel strategy for anxiety disorders
Data files
Jan 13, 2026 version files 7.19 KB
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README.md
1.40 KB
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underlying_data.csv
5.79 KB
Abstract
Anxiety disorders, affecting up to 28 % of individuals globally, remain poorly treated, necessitating novel therapeutic targets. Here, we identify Elovl6, a key fatty acid elongase enriched in the human cerebral cortex, as a critical regulator of anxiety-like behaviors. Chronic stress downregulated Elovl6 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), while Elovl6 knockout (KO) mice exhibited heightened anxiety-like behaviors, including reduced open-arm exploration in the elevated plus maze, increased compulsive grooming, and impaired nest-building, without affecting depression-related phenotypes. Mechanistically, Elovl6 deficiency disrupted brain lipid homeostasis, increasing palmitic acid (PA, C16:0) while decreasing oleic acid (OA, C18:1) and linoleic acid (LA, C18:2), leading to suppressed PPARα expression in astrocytes and reduced allopregnanolone (Allo) levels. Unsaturated fatty acids (OA/LA) or the PPARα agonist GW7647 reversed these deficits, restoring Allo production and alleviating anxiety-like behaviors in Elovl6-KO mice. Our findings reveal a novel Elovl6-fatty acid-PPARα-Allo axis in anxiety pathophysiology and propose lipid metabolism modulation as a promising therapeutic strategy.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bvt
Description of the data and file structure
Modulating fatty acid signaling to restore allopregnanolone balance: a novel strategy for anxiety disorders
Files and variables
File: underlying_data.csv
Description: We generated Elovl6 knockout mice and performed a series of behavioral tests, including the open field test, elevated plus maze, grooming observation, marble-burying test, and nest-building assay, to assess anxiety-like behaviors. The uploaded file contains the complete dataset that underpin the findings and conclusions of the related research article, "Modulating Fatty Acid Signaling to Restore Allopregnanolone Balance: A Novel Strategy for Anxiety Disorders," and is provided for reference during reuse and reanalysis. In the associated Zenodo record: The supplementary figure files have been uploaded as "Supplemental Information" under a CC-BY license.
Variables
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mouse:
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Distance in central area (% of total distance):
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Time in central area (% of total time):
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Probability of entry on open arm (%):
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Time spent on open arm (s):
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Marbles buried (out of 20):
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Number of bouts:
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Time spent grooming(s):
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Allopregnanolone (nmol/L):
