A discrete serotonergic circuit regulates vulnerability to social stress

Wen-Jun Zou, Yun-Long Song, Min-Yi Wu, Xiang-Tian Chen, Qiang-Long You, Qian Yang, Zheng-Yi Luo, Lang Huang, Yin Kong, Jing Feng, Dong-Xiang Fang, Xiao-Wen Li, Jian-Ming Yang, Lin Mei and Tian-Ming Gao ()
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Wen-Jun Zou: Southern Medical University
Yun-Long Song: Southern Medical University
Min-Yi Wu: Southern Medical University
Xiang-Tian Chen: Southern Medical University
Qiang-Long You: Southern Medical University
Qian Yang: Southern Medical University
Zheng-Yi Luo: Southern Medical University
Lang Huang: Southern Medical University
Yin Kong: Southern Medical University
Jing Feng: Southern Medical University
Dong-Xiang Fang: Southern Medical University
Xiao-Wen Li: Southern Medical University
Jian-Ming Yang: Southern Medical University
Lin Mei: Case Western Reserve University
Tian-Ming Gao: Southern Medical University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Exposure to social stress and dysregulated serotonergic neurotransmission have both been implicated in the etiology of psychiatric disorders. However, the serotonergic circuit involved in stress vulnerability is still unknown. Here, we explored whether a serotonergic input from the dorsal raphe (DR) to ventral tegmental area (VTA) influences vulnerability to social stress. We identified a distinct, anatomically and functionally defined serotonergic subpopulation in the DR that projects to the VTA (5-HTDR→VTA neurons). Moreover, we found that susceptibility to social stress decreased the firing activity of 5-HTDR→VTA neurons. Importantly, the bidirectional manipulation of 5-HTDR→VTA neurons could modulate susceptibility to social stress. Our findings reveal that the activity of 5-HTDR→VTA neurons may be an essential factor in determining individual levels of susceptibility to social stress and suggest that targeting specific serotonergic circuits may aid the development of therapies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18010-w

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