Optogenetic recruitment of hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing-hormone (CRH) neurons reduces motivational drive.

ABSTRACT: Impaired motivational drive is a key feature of depression. Chronic stress is a known antecedent to the development of depression in humans and depressive-like states in animals. Whilst there is a clear relationship between stress and motivational drive, the mechanisms underpinning this association remain unclear. One hypothesis is that the endocrine system, via corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN; PVN^CRH), initiates a hormonal cascade resulting in glucocorticoid release, and that excessive glucocorticoids change brain circuit function to produce depression-related symptoms. Another mostly unexplored hypothesis is that the direct activity of PVN^CRH neurons and their input to other stress- and reward-related bra

SUBMITTER: Mitchell CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10774335 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature