Strain-specific changes in nucleus accumbens transcriptome and motivation for palatable food reward in mice exposed to maternal separation.

Introduction: In humans, adversity in childhood exerts enduring effects on brain and increases the vulnerability to psychiatric diseases. It also leads to a higher risk of eating disorders and obesity. Maternal separation (MS) in mice has been used as a of stress during infancy.

A Holistic View of the Goto-Kakizaki Rat Immune System: Decreased Circulating Immune Markers in Non- Obese Type 2 Diabetes.

Type-2 diabetes is a complex disorder that is now considered to have an immune component, with functional impairments in many immune cell types. Type-2 diabetes is often accompanied by comorbid obesity, which is associated with low grade inflammation. However,the immune status in Type-2 diabetes independent of obesity remains unclear.

Disruption of estradiol regulation of orexin neurons: a novel mechanism in excessive ventilatory response to CO inhalation in a female rat model of panic disorder.

Panic disorder (PD) is ~2 times more frequent in women. An excessive ventilatory response to CO inhalation is more likely during the premenstrual phase. While ovarian hormones appear important in the pathophysiology of PD, their role remains poorly understood as female animals are rarely used in pre-clinical studies.

Neuronal hypertrophy dampens neuronal intrinsic excitability and stress responsiveness during chronic stress.

Key Points: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis habituates to repeated stress exposure. We studied hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons that form the apex of the HPA axis in a mouse model of stress habituation using repeated restraint. The intrinsic excitability of CRH neurons decreased after repeated stress in a time course that coincided with the development of HPA axis habituation.

Delta Opioid Receptor Signaling Promotes Resilience to Stress Under the Repeated Social Defeat Paradigm in Mice.

The adaptation to chronic stress is highly variable across individuals. Resilience to stress is a complex process recruiting various brain regions and neurotransmitter systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of endogenous opioid enkephalin (ENK) signaling in the development of stress resilience in mice.

Microglia Gone Rogue: Impacts on Psychiatric Disorders across the Lifespan.

Microglia are the predominant immune response cells and professional phagocytes of the central nervous system (CNS) that have been shown to be important for brain development and homeostasis. These cells present a broad spectrum of phenotypes across stages of the lifespan and especially in CNS diseases. Their prevalence in all neurological pathologies makes it pertinent to reexamine their distinct roles during steady-state and disease conditions.

Enkephalins: Endogenous Analgesics with an Emerging Role in Stress Resilience.

Psychological stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension that results from adverse or demanding circumstances. Chronic stress is well known to induce anxiety disorders and major depression; it is also considered a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Stress resilience is a positive outcome that is associated with preserved cognition and healthy aging.