| First Author | Zhang YF | Year | 2023 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 6887 |
| PubMed ID | 37898623 | Mgi Jnum | J:342563 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7546379 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-023-42662-z |
| Citation | Zhang YF, et al. (2023) Ventral striatal islands of Calleja neurons bidirectionally mediate depression-like behaviors in mice. Nat Commun 14(1):6887 |
| abstractText | The ventral striatum is a reward center implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. It contains islands of Calleja, clusters of dopamine D3 receptor-expressing granule cells, predominantly in the olfactory tubercle (OT). These OT D3 neurons regulate self-grooming, a repetitive behavior manifested in affective disorders. Here we show that chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces robust depression-like behaviors in mice and decreases excitability of OT D3 neurons. Ablation or inhibition of these neurons leads to depression-like behaviors, whereas their activation ameliorates CRS-induced depression-like behaviors. Moreover, activation of OT D3 neurons has a rewarding effect, which diminishes when grooming is blocked. Finally, we propose a model that explains how OT D3 neurons may influence dopamine release via synaptic connections with OT spiny projection neurons (SPNs) that project to midbrain dopamine neurons. Our study reveals a crucial role of OT D3 neurons in bidirectionally mediating depression-like behaviors, suggesting a potential therapeutic target. |
