Sparse stress-responsive neurons predominate the pathogenesis of depression-like state
Zhiwei Zheng, Yiqin Liu, Ruiqi Mu, Xiaonan Guo, Liang Yang, Chen Guo, Yirong Feng, Zhaoqi Dong, Shuang Qiu, Yiyan Dong, Yihui Cui · FENS Forum 2024
Accumulating evidence has substantiated that various brain functions are encoded by a sparse population of experience-activated neurons. However, it remains elusive whether stress-responsive neurons ever exist and contribute to the pathogenesis of depression. Utilizing activity-dependent viral strategies, here we identified sparse stress-responsive neurons primarily located in the middle part of the lateral hypothalamus (mLH) and the medial part of the lateral habenula (LHbM), which were universally recruited by various stressors. Remarkably, merely silencing these stress-responsive neurons en
ePoster · Neuroscience