| First Author | Pati S | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Elife | Volume | 9 |
| PubMed ID | 32955432 | Mgi Jnum | J:301976 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6477036 | Doi | 10.7554/eLife.56171 |
| Citation | Pati S, et al. (2020) Chronic postnatal chemogenetic activation of forebrain excitatory neurons evokes persistent changes in mood behavior. Elife 9:e56171 |
| abstractText | Early adversity is a risk factor for the development of adult psychopathology. Common across multiple rodent models of early adversity is increased signaling via forebrain Gq-coupled neurotransmitter receptors. We addressed whether enhanced Gq-mediated signaling in forebrain excitatory neurons during postnatal life can evoke persistent mood-related behavioral changes. Excitatory hM3Dq DREADD-mediated chemogenetic activation of forebrain excitatory neurons during postnatal life (P2-14), but not in juvenile or adult windows, increased anxiety-, despair-, and schizophrenia-like behavior in adulthood. This was accompanied by an enhanced metabolic rate of cortical and hippocampal glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Furthermore, we observed reduced activity and plasticity-associated marker expression, and perturbed excitatory/inhibitory currents in the hippocampus. These results indicate that Gq-signaling-mediated activation of forebrain excitatory neurons during the critical postnatal window is sufficient to program altered mood-related behavior, as well as functional changes in forebrain glutamate and GABA systems, recapitulating aspects of the consequences of early adversity. |
