Enriched environment reduces pyramidal neuron excitability in the anterior cingulate cortex to alleviate restraint stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in mice.
10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2025.05.08
- Author:
Changfeng CHEN
1
;
Qin FANG
1
;
Yinhuan GAO
1
;
Liecheng WANG
1
;
Lei CHEN
2
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
2. Department of Pharmay, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230032, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
anterior cingulate cortex;
anxiety;
enriched environment;
excitability;
pyramidal neuron
- MeSH:
Animals;
Anxiety/physiopathology*;
Gyrus Cinguli;
Mice, Inbred C57BL;
Mice;
Pyramidal Cells/physiology*;
Restraint, Physical;
Stress, Psychological;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism*;
Male;
Behavior, Animal;
Environment;
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials
- From:
Journal of Southern Medical University
2025;45(5):962-968
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the mechanism by which the pyramidal neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) modulate the effects of enriched environment (EE) for relieving anxiety-like behaviors in mice.
METHODS:C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group, restraint stress (RS) group, and RS+EE group (n=8). The mice in the latter two groups were subjected to RS for 2 h daily for 3 days, and those in RS+EE group were housed in an EE during modeling. Anxiety-like behaviors of the mice were evaluated using the elevated plus-maze tests (EPM) and open field test (OFT). Changes in c-Fos expression in the ACC of the mice were detected with immunofluorescence assay, and pyramidal neuron excitability in the ACC (PynACC) was measured using patch-clamp technique. The miniature excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mEPSC and mIPSC, respectively) were analyzed to assess synaptic transmission changes.
RESULTS:Behavioral tests showed obvious anxiety-like behaviors in RS mice, and such behavioral changes were significantly improved in RS+EE mice. Immunofluorescence staining revealed significantly increased c-Fos expression in the ACC in RS mice but lowered c-Fos expression in RS+EE group. Compared with the control mice, the RS mice showed increased action potential firing rate of PynACC, which was significantly reduced in RS+EE group. Compared with the RS mice, the RS+EE mice showed also decreased frequency of mEPSCs of PynACC, but the amplitude exhibited no significant changes. No obvious changes in the frequency or amplitude of mIPSCs were observed in RS+EE mice.
CONCLUSIONS:EE reduces excitability of PynACC to alleviate anxiety-like behaviors induced by RS in mice.
