Fig. 8: A working model for stress-induced changes in MPOA E-I balance.

Under chronic restraint stress, there is an increase in excitation, while under social defeat stress, there is a decrease in inhibition. In both scenarios, there is an overall increase in the excitation-inhibition ratio. This E-I imbalance is correlated with the induction and expression of depressive-like behaviors and decreased dopaminergic and serotonergic activities in downstream targets of MPOA.