Psychological stress significantly reduces the survival rate of newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a group from Tokyo University of Science revealed in a study using model mice for depression.
Although the detailed mechanism of the onset of depression is still unclear, it has been clarified that neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the brain is closely related to its pathophysiology.Therefore, in this study, we used cVSDS model mice that were given mental stress (chronic vicarious social defeat stress; cVSDS) by witnessing the scene where other individuals were being attacked. The effect of stress on newborn neurons was investigated.
As a result, the survival rate of newborn neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus was significantly reduced in cVSDS model mice, and the rate of this decrease in cell survival rate persisted for 4 weeks after the period of psychological stress loading, during which social avoidance occurred. It was found that the behavior deteriorated.This result suggests abnormal hippocampal dentate gyrus neurogenesis during psychological stress loading, as it takes about 4 weeks for newborn neurons to mature and function normally. Suppose you are.
In addition, chronic administration of the existing antidepressant fluoxetine to cVSDS model mice to investigate whether the use of therapeutic agents could restore them resulted in increased decreased cell viability and social avoidance behavior. It became clear that can also be improved.
This study is the first report in the world to show that psychological stress alone affects the neurogenesis ability of mice (even when the physical stress factors are eliminated).Further development of this research is expected to lead to the elucidation of the onset mechanism of depression and the development of new therapeutic agents.
Paper information:[Behavioural Brain Research] Chronic Vicarious Social Defeat Stress Attenuates New-born Neuronal Cell Survival in Mouse Hippocampus
