Fig. 6: Stress causes sex-specific changes to vSUB output to the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) and anxiety-like behavior. | Nature Communications

Fig. 6: Stress causes sex-specific changes to vSUB output to the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) and anxiety-like behavior.

From: Acute stress causes sex-specific changes to ventral subiculum synapses, circuitry, and anxiety-like behavior

Fig. 6: Stress causes sex-specific changes to vSUB output to the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) and anxiety-like behavior.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a Experimental schema to optogenetically isolate vSUB input to aBNST and monitor light-evoked exciatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in male and female mice (PND42-60) 24 h after restraint stress. b, d Input-output representative traces (left), summary graph (middle), and slope (right) for EPSCs recorded in the aBNST of female ((b) LED Intensity x Stress Group F(5, 100) = 8.563, ****p < 0.0001, 0.3 mW, p > 0.9999; 0.8 mW, p = 0.1421; 1.3 mW, **p = 0.0091; 3.1 mW, **p = 0.0014; 5.8 mW, ***p = 0.0002; 6.6 mW, ***p = 0.0004; slope, ***p = 0.0005 (t = 4.181, df = 20); control n = 9/3, stress n = 13/3) or male mice ((d) LED Intensity x Stress Group F(5, 110) = 10.84, ****p < 0.0001, 0.3 mW, p = 0.9984; 0.8 mW, p = 0.7935; 1.3 mW, p = 0.0588; 3.1 mW, ***p = 0.0004; 5.8 mW, ****p < 0.0001; 6.6 mW, ****p < 0.0001; slope, p = 0.06 (t = 2.601, df = 4); control n = 14/3, stress n = 10/3). c, e Representative PPR traces (50 ms) (left) and PPR measurements (right) from female ((c) *p = 0.0207 (t = 2.476, df = 24), control n = 13/3, stress n = 13/3) or male ((e) *p = 0.0348 (t = 3.142, df = 4), control n = 16/3, stress n = 14/3) mice. f Anxiety-like behavior was assessed in the elevated zero maze (EZM) and conveyed as the percent time spent in the closed arm. (g, h) Distance traveled during the EZM in females ((g) p = 0.7923 (t = 0.2684, df = 14); control n = 8, stress n = 8) and males ((h) p = 0.9573 (t = 0.054117, df = 20); control n = 11, stress n = 11). (i, j) Percent closed arm time in the EZM for females ((i) **p = 0.0086 (t = 3.055, df=14); control n = 8, stress n = 8) and males ((j) p = 0.7830 (t = 0.2792, df = 20); control n = 11, stress n = 11). Data are represented as mean ± SEM and calculated from the total number of cells (electrophysiology) or total animals (behavior) as indicated in bars. Statistical significance was determined by a 2-way repeated measures ANOVA followed by Šidák’s multiple comparisons test ((b) (middle), (d) (middle)), nested unpaired Student’s t-test (two-tailed) ((b) (left)-(c, d) (left)-(e)), or unpaired Student’s t-test (two-tailed) (g–j). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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