Genetic Dissection of Neuropeptide Circuits Mediating Psychosocial Stress

Abstract Several decades of neurobiological research have established that multiple brain neuropeptide systems play a role in mediating psychosocial stress. The application of genetic tools and methods in neurobiological research constitutes a powerful approach to unravel the connectivity and function of the brain's neural and neuron-glial circuits, including those that express neuropeptides. Together with complementary approaches, the genetic dissection of central neuropeptide-expressing circuits has advanced our understanding of how neural systems communicate within and between brain regions composed of heterogeneous cell types. Within this field of research, many studies (mostly from the past decade) applied genetic approaches in mammals to explore central neuropeptide circuitry in the context of psychosocial stress. These studies have provided valuable insight into how neuropeptide-expressing cellular subpopulations communicate within and between brain regions during psychosocial stress and therefore how neuropeptide systems mediate perceptions of stress and responses to stressful challenges.