Distinguishing neural ensembles in the infralimbic cortex that regulate stress vulnerability and coping behavior.

ABSTRACT: Neural ensembles in the medial prefrontal cortex regulate several types of responses to stress. We used a Syrian hamster model to investigate the role of infralimbic (IL) neurons in coping with social defeat stress and vulnerability to subsequent anxiety-like behavior. We created social dominance relationships in male and female hamsters, used a robust activity marker (RAM) approach to label IL neural ensembles activated during social defeat stress, and employed light-dark (LD), social avoidance (SA), and conditioned defeat (CD) tests to assess anxiety-like behavior. We found that dominant animals were less anxious in LD tests compared to subordinate animals after achieving their higher status. Also, status-dependent differences in anxiety-like behavior were maintained following social def

SUBMITTER: Laymon JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11994976 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature