Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice
Chronic stress is one of the main risk factors of bone loss. While the neurons and neural circuits of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) mediate bone loss induced by chronic stress, the detailed intrinsic mechanisms within the VMH nucleus still need to be explored. Astrocytes in brain regions play...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Neural Plasticity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7806370 |
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| author | Yunhui Liu Jie Shao Dashuang Gao Lu Zhang Fan Yang |
| author_facet | Yunhui Liu Jie Shao Dashuang Gao Lu Zhang Fan Yang |
| author_sort | Yunhui Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Chronic stress is one of the main risk factors of bone loss. While the neurons and neural circuits of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) mediate bone loss induced by chronic stress, the detailed intrinsic mechanisms within the VMH nucleus still need to be explored. Astrocytes in brain regions play important roles in the regulation of metabolism and anxiety-like behavior through interactions with surrounding neurons. However, whether astrocytes in the VMH affect neuronal activity and therefore regulate chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss remain elusive. In this study, we found that VMH astrocytes were activated during chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss. Pharmacogenetic activation of the Gi and Gq pathways in VMH astrocytes reduced and increased the levels of anxiety and bone loss, respectively. Furthermore, activation of VMH astrocytes by optogenetics induced depolarization in neighboring steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) neurons, which was diminished by administration of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor blocker but not by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor blocker. These results suggest that there may be a functional “glial-neuron microcircuit” in VMH nuclei that mediates anxiety and bone loss induced by chronic stress. This study not only advances our understanding of glial cell function but also provides a potential intervention target for chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss therapy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a3348d8f13b4876b4d9373b4117dfff |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neural Plasticity |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a3348d8f13b4876b4d9373b4117dfff2025-08-20T03:37:50ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432021-01-01202110.1155/2021/78063707806370Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in MiceYunhui Liu0Jie Shao1Dashuang Gao2Lu Zhang3Fan Yang4The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaThe Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaThe Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaThe Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaThe Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaChronic stress is one of the main risk factors of bone loss. While the neurons and neural circuits of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) mediate bone loss induced by chronic stress, the detailed intrinsic mechanisms within the VMH nucleus still need to be explored. Astrocytes in brain regions play important roles in the regulation of metabolism and anxiety-like behavior through interactions with surrounding neurons. However, whether astrocytes in the VMH affect neuronal activity and therefore regulate chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss remain elusive. In this study, we found that VMH astrocytes were activated during chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss. Pharmacogenetic activation of the Gi and Gq pathways in VMH astrocytes reduced and increased the levels of anxiety and bone loss, respectively. Furthermore, activation of VMH astrocytes by optogenetics induced depolarization in neighboring steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) neurons, which was diminished by administration of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor blocker but not by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor blocker. These results suggest that there may be a functional “glial-neuron microcircuit” in VMH nuclei that mediates anxiety and bone loss induced by chronic stress. This study not only advances our understanding of glial cell function but also provides a potential intervention target for chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss therapy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7806370 |
| spellingShingle | Yunhui Liu Jie Shao Dashuang Gao Lu Zhang Fan Yang Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice Neural Plasticity |
| title | Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice |
| title_full | Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice |
| title_fullStr | Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice |
| title_short | Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice |
| title_sort | astrocytes in the ventromedial hypothalamus involve chronic stress induced anxiety and bone loss in mice |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7806370 |
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