Topic: persistent, inescapable stress

During prolonged periods of stress, animals switch from active to passive coping strategies to manage effort expenditure. These normally adaptive behavioral state transitions become maladaptive in disorders such as depression. Such behavioral state transitions occur as animals continually evaluate the fruitfulness or futility of their actions in response to stressors. This process is mediated by interactions across numerous brain regions over long timespans, integrating information about the stressor with the outcome of avoidance actions performed, and tracking the accrual of stress, ultimatel