Chronic stress exacerbates acute stress-induced neuronal activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and ventral hippocampus that correlates with behavioral deficits in mice

摘要: Abstract Altered activity of corticolimbic brain regions is a hallmark stress-related illnesses, including mood disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and substance abuse disorders. Acute stress adaptively recruits region-specific functions for coping, while sustained activation under chronic may overwhelm feedback mechanisms lead to pathological cellular behavioral responses. The neural underlying dysregulated response how they contribute deficits are poorly characterized. Here, we tested whether prior exposure restraint (CRS) or unpredictable mild (UCMS) in mice could alter neuronal acute these changes associated with stress-induced deficits. More specifically, assessed indexed by c-Fos+ cell counts 24 stress- mood-related regions, determined if were linked impairments. Results indicated that CRS UCMS led convergent physiological anxiety-like deficits, whereas cognition was impaired only mice. exacerbated an stressor anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) area 24b ventral hippocampal (vHPC) CA1, CA3, subiculum. In levels positively correlated principal components capturing variance across widespread alterations relevant Our data supports association between response, altered excitation/inhibition balance, the expression maladaptive behaviors. Highlights Chronic models produce variable profiles behavior, ACC A24b & vHPC stress,