Research on neural plasticity and molecular basis underlying emotional behaviors with emphasis on roles of inflammation-related molecules

慢性压力会导致情绪变化，如抑郁和焦虑。然而，其潜在机制仍不清楚。我们采用了反复的社会失败压力，抑郁症的小鼠模型，并已表明，前列腺素（PG）E2及其受体EP 1介导的情绪变化的慢性压力，通过衰减前额多巴胺能活性。此外，环氧合酶（考克斯）1，在大脑中的小胶质细胞中表达的PG合酶，是由反复的社会失败的情绪变化的关键，这表明PGE 2合成在小胶质细胞中的潜在作用。

Chronic stress causes emotional changes, such as depression and anxiety. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We have employed repeated social defeat stress, a mouse model of major depression, and have shown that prostaglandin(PG) E2 and its receptor EP1 mediate emotional changes by chronic stress through attenuation of prefrontal dopaminergic activity. Further, cyclooxygenase(COX) 1, a PG synthase expressed in microglia in the brain, is critical for emotional changes by repeated social defeat, suggesting a potential role of PGE2 synthesis in microglia.