An organism is more likely to survive dangerous situations when it experiences anxiety and fear, which are feelings that have been conserved throughout evolution. Multiple brain regions are involved in the neural networks that control anxiety and alertness states. This complex regulatory mechanism is compromised in anxiety disorders, causing excessive or protracted anxiety or terror. There are environmental and genetic risk factors for anxiety disorders. Genetic research offers the capacity to pinpoint particular genetic variants that are causally linked to particular behaviours. Recent decades have seen the discovery of polymorphisms predisposing to neuropsychiatric diseases by Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs), which have suggested new neuronal pathways in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Here, we discuss current genetic investigations in rodent models of anxiety-like behaviour and human GWASs of anxiety disorders. These investigations are opening the door to a greater comprehension.
