Studying Non-Human Primates: A Gateway to Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Non-human primates, such as the rhesus monkey, provide excellent models of human fear and anxiety because of similarities in behavioral responses and brain function. Studies of rhesus monkeys demonstrate that animals with an anxious temperament exhibit inappropriately exaggerated responses to fearful situations, extreme asymmetrical electrical activity in the right prefrontal cortex, and dysregulation of the corticotropin-releasing factor system. Similar findings have been observed in anxious or behaviorally inhibited children who are at greater risk of developing anxiety disorders later in life. Characterization of distinct behavioral and neurobiological features in anxious rhesus monkeys may one day form the basis of tools to identify children who are at risk to develop anxiety disorders and other stress-related problems later in life.