The functional role of locus coeruleus microglia in the female stress response.

ABSTRACT: Neuropsychiatric disorders that result from stress exposure are highly associated with central inflammation. Our previous work established that females selectively exhibit heightened proinflammatory cytokine production within the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) along with a hypervigilant behavioral phenotype in response to witnessing social stress. Notably, ablation of microglia using pharmacological techniques prevents this behavioral response. These studies were designed to further investigate the impact of stress-induced neuroimmune signaling on the long-term behavioral and neuronal consequences of social stress exposure in females using chemogenetics. We first characterized the use of an AAV-CD68-G_i-DREADD virus targeted to microglia within the LC and confirmed viral tran

SUBMITTER: Smiley CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12339389 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature