A recent paper by Fang et al. examined the role of Agouti-Related Peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in mediating depressive-like behavior in mice. Chronic, but not acute stress, led to changes in neuronal excitability in AgRP neurons concomitant with the display of depressive-like behaviors, which were bidirectionally modulated using AgRP-selective chemogenetic manipulations. Together, these findings broaden our understanding of the diverse roles AgRP neurons play in driving motivational states, aside from their influence on hunger and feeding behaviors.

中文翻译：

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下丘脑 AgRP 神经元在介导抑郁行为中的新作用

方等人最近发表的一篇论文。研究了下丘脑弓状核中表达 Agouti 相关肽 (AgRP) 的神经元在介导小鼠抑郁样行为中的作用。慢性而非急性压力会导致 AgRP 神经元的神经元兴奋性发生变化，并伴有抑郁样行为，这些行为是使用 AgRP 选择性化学遗传操作进行双向调节的。总之，这些发现拓宽了我们对 AgRP 神经元在驱动动机状态中发挥的不同作用的理解，除了它们对饥饿和进食行为的影响。