A POMC-originated circuit regulates stress-induced hypophagia, depression, and anhedonia.

Na Qu, Yanlin He, Chunmei Wang, Pingwen Xu, Yongjie Yang, Xing Cai, Hesong Liu, Kaifan Yu, Zhou Pei, Ilirjana Hyseni, Zheng Sun, Makoto Fukuda, Yi Li, Qing Tian, Yong Xu

Molecular psychiatry 2020 May

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Chronic stress causes dysregulations of mood and energy homeostasis, but the neurocircuitry underlying these alterations remain to be fully elucidated. Here we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress in mice results in hyperactivity of pro-opiomelanocortin neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (POMCARH neurons) associated with decreased neural activities of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (DAVTA neurons). We further revealed that POMCARH neurons project to the VTA and provide an inhibitory tone to DAVTA neurons via both direct and indirect neurotransmissions. Finally, we show that photoinhibition of the POMCARH→VTA circuit in mice increases body weight and food intake, and reduces depression-like behaviors and anhedonia in mice exposed to chronic restraint stress. Thus, our results identified a novel neurocircuitry regulating feeding and mood in response to stress.

Citation

Na Qu, Yanlin He, Chunmei Wang, Pingwen Xu, Yongjie Yang, Xing Cai, Hesong Liu, Kaifan Yu, Zhou Pei, Ilirjana Hyseni, Zheng Sun, Makoto Fukuda, Yi Li, Qing Tian, Yong Xu. A POMC-originated circuit regulates stress-induced hypophagia, depression, and anhedonia. Molecular psychiatry. 2020 May;25(5):1006-1021