Dissecting the functional and molecular deficits at the cortico tegmental pathway in stressed males and females

titleDissecting the functional and molecular deficits at the cortico tegmental pathway in stressed males and females
start_date2024/02/13
schedule11h30
onlineno
location_info/
summaryThe medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a central hub region for the processing of emotional and stressful environmental information. Recent studies by us and others suggest that cortically driven dysregulation of subcortical circuits underlies the expression of depressive-like behaviors in humans and chronically stressed animals. More precisely, our group showed that stress changes the excitatory/inhibitory balance at cortical neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens ( and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) differently in males and females. Importantly, these alterations are accompanied by an important reorganization of pathway specific gene programs in a sex dependent fashion. How do these stress driven changes occurring in the mPFC affect synaptic transmission in downstream output brain structures in males and females, and which transcriptional changes underlie these effects? In this talk, I will introduce novel and previously unpublished data characterizing the role of the cortico tegmental mPFC VTA pathway in the expression of stress responses I will present results obtained by combining optogenetics with patch electrophysiology and pharmacological approaches to reveal the cellular mechanisms underlying the activity of this pathway at baseline and under stress conditions. These results come with a variety of assays combined with pharmacogenetic and optogenetic manipulations to define the behavioral contribution of this pathway at baseline and in the context of stress. Finally, I will show results from our transcriptional analyses highlighting targets that may be responsible for the functional and behavioral impact of stress in a sex specific fashion. Globally I will provide a multidisciplinary perspective on the molecular mechanisms underlying the functional impact of chronic stress on the activity of the cortico teg mental pathway in males and females.
responsiblesPerrais, Thoumine