title: The nucleus reuniens: a key node in the neurocircuitry of stress and depression.
abstract: The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) are connected in a reciprocal manner: whereas the hippocampus projects directly to the PFC, a polysynaptic pathway that passes through the nucleus reuniens (RE) of the thalamus relays inputs from the PFC to the hippocampus. The present study demonstrates that lesioning and/or inactivation of the RE reduces coherence in the PFC-hippocampal pathway, provokes an antidepressant-like behavioral response in the forced swim test and prevents, but does not ameliorate, anhedonia in the chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression. Additionally, RE lesioning before CMS abrogates the well-known neuromorphological and endocrine correlates of CMS. In summary, this work highlights the importance of the reciprocal connectivity between the hippocampus and PFC in the establishment of stress-induced brain pathology and suggests a role for the RE in promoting resilience to depressive illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kafetzopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5081-3382
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokras
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sotiropoulos
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: H
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5566-0386
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leite-Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasalou
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Sardinha
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou-Daifoti
authors.affiliation: NeuroAdaptations Group, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: O F X
authors.initials: OFX
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Antoniou
authors.affiliation: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: N
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8755-5126
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dalla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D020644:Midline Thalamic Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents