UC Davis researchers teamed up with scientists from Mount Sinai Hospital to
The nucleus accumbens is important for motivation, it responds to rewarding experiences and social interactions, all of which are affected by depression.
Previously it became known that women diagnosed withdepression, different genes were turned on and off, this could not be compared with the situation in men. These changes could cause symptoms of depression, or, conversely, depression could change how the brain works.
To distinguish between these features, the researchers studied mice that had experienced negative social interactions.
“It turned out that negative socialThe interactions altered gene expression patterns in female mice, similar to what happens in women with depression. This is interesting because women have been understudied in this area,” the authors of the paper said.
After this, the researchers chose one gene -regulator of g protein signaling 2, or Rgs2. It controls the expression of a protein that regulates neurotransmitter receptors that are targeted by antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft.
When the researchers experimentally increased the Rgs2 protein in the nucleus accumbens of mice, they reversed the effects of stress on these female mice.
According to the researchers, the results of this work will help in the development of pharmacotherapy for effective treatment of people suffering from depression.
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