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Neuron Dec 2023Relief, the appetitive state after the termination of aversive stimuli, is evolutionarily conserved. Understanding the behavioral role of this well-conserved phenomenon...
Relief, the appetitive state after the termination of aversive stimuli, is evolutionarily conserved. Understanding the behavioral role of this well-conserved phenomenon and its underlying neurobiological mechanisms are open and important questions. Here, we discover that the magnitude of relief from physical stress strongly correlates with individual resilience to depression-like behaviors in chronic stressed mice. Notably, blocking stress relief causes vulnerability to depression-like behaviors, whereas natural rewards supplied shortly after stress promotes resilience. Stress relief is mediated by reward-related mesolimbic dopamine neurons, which show minute-long, persistent activation after stress termination. Circuitry-wise, activation or inhibition of circuits downstream of the ventral tegmental area during the transient relief period bi-directionally regulates depression resilience. These results reveal an evolutionary function of stress relief in depression resilience and identify the neural substrate mediating this effect. Importantly, our data suggest a behavioral strategy of augmenting positive valence of stress relief with natural rewards to prevent depression.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Nucleus Accumbens; Depression; Resilience, Psychological; Ventral Tegmental Area; Reward
PubMed: 37776853
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.004 -
ELife Jun 2024A social memory pathway connecting the ventral hippocampus, the lateral septum and the ventral tegmental area helps to regulate how mice react to unknown individuals.
A social memory pathway connecting the ventral hippocampus, the lateral septum and the ventral tegmental area helps to regulate how mice react to unknown individuals.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Social Behavior; Ventral Tegmental Area; Hippocampus; Memory
PubMed: 38865180
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.99363 -
Neuron Dec 2023Understanding how individuals form and maintain strong social networks has emerged as a significant public health priority as a result of the increased focus on the... (Review)
Review
Understanding how individuals form and maintain strong social networks has emerged as a significant public health priority as a result of the increased focus on the epidemic of loneliness and the myriad protective benefits conferred by social connection. In this review, we highlight the psychological and neural mechanisms that enable us to connect with others, which in turn help buffer against the consequences of stress and isolation. Central to this process is the experience of rewards derived from positive social interactions, which encourage the sharing of perspectives and preferences that unite individuals. Sharing affective states with others helps us to align our understanding of the world with another's, thereby continuing to reinforce bonds and strengthen relationships. These psychological processes depend on neural systems supporting reward and social cognitive function. Lastly, we also consider limitations associated with pursuing healthy social connections and outline potential avenues of future research.
Topics: Humans; Emotions; Cognition; Reward
PubMed: 37804834
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.012