Stress and CRF gate neural activation of BDNF in the mesolimbic reward pathway

Abstract

BDNF, acting in the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway, promotes susceptibility to stress; however, the mechanisms controlling its release remain unknown. We report that phasic optogenetic activation of this pathway increases BDNF levels in nucleus accumbens (NAc) of socially stressed mice, but not stress-naïve mice. This stress gating of BDNF signaling is mediated by CRF acting in NAc. These results unravel a stress-context detecting function of the brain’s mesolimbic circuit.

Nerve Growth Factor(s) Mediated Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis Activation Model in Stress Induced Genesis of Psychiatric Disorders

“…Such a function is crucial for experience dependent modulation of normal behaviour (76). A dopamine-BDNF link in reward pathway functions has been well substantiated by animal model studies of social defeat stress (77,78).…”

Endocannabinoid signaling in hypothalamic circuits regulates arousal from general anesthesia in mice

“…Thus, DREADD expression could be monitored, and stable transgene inversion was achieved with the FLEX Switch ( Figure 6A) (32). After intra-VLPO injection, PRV-Cre entered axonal terminals and then underwent retrograde transport (33,34) to DMH neurons ( Figure 6B). As a thymidine kinase gene-null viral vector, the PRV-Cre used here immunoreactivity in GABAergic axon terminals in the DMH of GAD65-CB 1 R-KO mice ( Figure 5, M and N).…”

Single dose ketamine injection affects activation of cells in the nucleus accumbens of prenatally stressed rats

“…[40] Likewise, stress and depression cause phasic activation of the VTA-NAc pathway and corelease dopamine and BDNF in the NAc region. [41] Ketamine infusion in rodents increases spontaneous activation of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA and extracellular dopamine level in the NAc. [42] These results imply that enhanced neuronal activation seen in the current study following ketamine treatment might be caused by dopaminergic system activation.…”