Resilience to chronic stress is mediated by noradrenergic regulation of dopamine neurons

• DOI: 10.1038/nn.4245
• Publication Date: 2016-02-15T16:32:35Z
• Authors: Elsa Isingrini; Léa Perret; Quentin Rainer; Bénédicte Amilhon; Elisa Guma; Arnaud Tanti; Garance Martin; Jennifer Robinson; Luc Moquin; Fabio Marti; Naguib Mechawar; Sylvain Williams; Alain Gratton; Bruno Giros
• Keywords: Adrenergic Neurons; Male; Mice, Knockout; 0301 basic medicine; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Dopaminergic Neurons; Ventral Tegmental Area; Mice, Transgenic; Neural Inhibition; Resilience, Psychological; [SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice; Norepinephrine; 03 medical and health sciences; Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; Chronic Disease; Animals; [SDV.NEU]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; [SDV.NEU] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; Stress, Psychological

Dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) help mediate stress susceptibility and resilience. However, upstream mechanisms controlling these neurons remain unknown. Noradrenergic (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus, implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, have direct connections within the VTA. Here we demonstrate that NE neurons regulate vulnerability to social defeat through inhibitory control of VTA DA neurons.