NAc-VTA circuit underlies emotional stress-induced anxiety-like behavior in the three-chamber vicarious social defeat stress mouse model

Abstract

Using a three-chamber vicarious social defeat stress model in mice, Qi et al. show that chronic emotional stress (CES) induced anxiety-like behavior and transient social interaction changes. Bidirectional modulation of NAc-VTA circuit mimics or reverses the CES-induced anxiety-like behavior.