Acute stress induces long-lasting alterations in the dopaminergic system of female mice

Abstract

Stress is a risk factor for many neuropsychiatric disorders, and the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway is a crucial node of vulnerability. Despite the high prevalence of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders in women, preclinical knowledge on the impact of stress on neural circuitry has predominantly been acquired in males. Here, we examine how a non-social stressor impacts the effect of DA neurotransmission on social and reward-related behaviors in female mice. Acute stress exposure attenuated the anti-social effects of photoinhibiting ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons and transformed photoactivation of these cells into an anti-social signal. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) revealed an enhancement in optogenetically-induced DA release after stress. 60 days after stress, mice showed distinct patterns of intra-cranial self-stimulation of VTA DA neurons. Our results reveal the impact stress exerts on females and show that neural and behavioral changes induced by acute stress exposure are still present months later.