People with diabetes are more prone to anxiety and depression than those with other chronic diseases that require similar levels of management. Genetically modifying mice to make their brains resistant to insulin, scientists first found that the animals exhibited behaviors that suggest anxiety and depression, and then pinpointed a mechanism that lowers levels of the key neurotransmitter dopamine in areas of the brain associated with those conditions.

People with diabetes are more prone to anxiety and depression than those with other chronic diseases that require similar levels of management. Genetically modifying mice to make their brains resistant to insulin, scientists first found that the animals exhibited behaviors that suggest anxiety and depression, and then pinpointed a mechanism that lowers levels of the key neurotransmitter dopamine in areas of the brain associated with those conditions.