Astrocytes in the Ventral Hippocampus Bidirectionally Regulate Innate and Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Male Mice.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms of anxiety disorders, the most common mental illness, remain incompletely characterized. The ventral hippocampus (vHPC) is critical for the expression of anxiety. However, current studies primarily focus on vHPC neurons, leaving the role for vHPC astrocytes in anxiety largely unexplored. Here, genetically encoded Ca²⁺ indicator GCaMP6m and in vivo fiber photometry calcium imaging are used to label vHPC astrocytes and monitor their activity, respectively, genetic and chemogenetic approaches to inhibit and activate vHPC astrocytes, respectively, patch-clamp recordings to measure glutamate currents, and behavioral assays to assess anxiety-like behaviors. It is found that vHPC astrocytic activity is increased in anxiogenic environments and by 3-d subacute restraint st

SUBMITTER: Li JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11481230 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature