Chickens are providing clues about the genetic causes of anxiety, according to Swedish researchers.
A project at Linköping University involved cross-breeding domestic and wild chickens to identify genetic links to levels of anxiety.
Researchers say that some of the genes identified in the project have already been linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in humans.
The researchers say that wild chickens have higher anxiety levels than domestic chickens, which become docile through being protect for most of their lives.
The researchers bred multiple generations of chickens, measuring anxiety related behaviour and mapping genes.
The findings have been published in the journal Genetics.
Researcher Dr Dominic Wright said: “Domestication therefore offers a unique opportunity to find the genes responsible for anxiety, by comparing domestic birds with their wild ancestors.
“These results point to the same genes affecting anxiety in animals as diverse as chickens and humans. It also demonstrates that chickens may make an excellent model for the genetic basis of anxiety.”
A novel chicken genomic model for anxiety behaviour Genetics January 2016
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