Topic: behavioral despair

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent, persistent and severe psychiatric condition characterized by persistent feelings of depression, anhedonia, and occasional suicidal thoughts, with stress identified as a major trigger. Previous research from our lab has shown changes in mouse emotional and cognitive behavior, and cellular and molecular alterations in some brain areas such as hippocampus, striatum and prefrontal cortex. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying depression remain elusive, and so, an effective treatment. To tackle this issue, cannabidiol (CBD) treatment has emerged as a

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, but its pathogenesis is unclear. Mounting evidence implicates the loss of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity as it exposes the brain to harmful inflammatory mediators, antibodies, and serum proteins, but to date no pharmacotherapies specifically target the BBB. Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a non-invasive, neuromodulatory strategy that transiently opens the BBB (FUS-BBBO) when coupled with microbubbles. Here, we examine FUS-BBBO as an independent therapy in a mouse model of stress-induced depression. Briefly, adult male