Anxiety disorders are not driven by a single "anxiety gene," but by dozens of subtle genetic variations spread across the human genome, according to a large international study published in Nature Genetics. Researchers identified 58 genetic variants associated with an increased risk of anxiety, pointing to 66 genes that may influence how the brain responds to stress and perceived threats.
The study was led by researchers from Texas A&M University and involved genetic data from 122,341 individuals diagnosed with major anxiety disorders and 729,881 individuals without such diagnoses. The team identified 58 independent genome-wide significant risk variants with strong biological support, substantially expanding understanding of anxiety’s genetic foundations.
Senior author Jack Hettema, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Texas A&M University, said anxiety disorders have long been recognized as heritable, but specific genetic links had remained unclear. “Anxiety disorders and their underlying sources of genetic risk have been understudied compared to other psychiatric conditions,” he noted, adding that the findings represent a major step forward.
Importantly, the study found a strong genetic overlap between anxiety and related traits such as depression, neuroticism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide attempts. This reinforces decades of clinical observations that these conditions frequently co-occur and may share common biological pathways.
Among the key findings was the involvement of genes linked to the regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical that helps calm nervous system activity. GABA pathways are already targeted by several anti-anxiety medications, lending biological credibility to the results and supporting long-suspected mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders.
However, researchers emphasized that genes alone do not determine whether someone will develop anxiety. Co-author Brad Verhulst highlighted that while the findings clarify biological vulnerability, lived experiences and environmental factors remain profoundly influential.
The authors said the newly identified genetic variants and pathways provide a roadmap for future research, potentially paving the way for earlier identification of vulnerable individuals and more personalized treatment strategies.
REFERENCE: Strom, N.I., Verhulst, B., Bacanu, SA. et al. Genome-wide association study of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifies 58 loci and highlights GABAergic signaling. Nat Genet (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02485-8
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