Direct Retino-Raphe Projection Alters Serotonergic Tone and Affective Behavior

作者：Chaoran Ren, Liju Luan, Benson Wui-Man Lau, Xin Huang, Jian Yang, Yuan Zhou, Xihong Wu, Jie Gao, Gary E. Pickard, Kwok‐Fai So, Mingliang Pu · 发表于：Neuropsychopharmacology · 年份：2013 · DOI：10.1038/npp.2013.35 · 被引用次数：59 · 研究领域：Circadian rhythm and melatonin、Retinal Development and Disorders、Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study

Light is a powerful modulator of higher-order cognitive processes such as mood but it remains unclear which neural circuits mediate the impact of light on affective behavior. We found that light deprivation produces a depressive-like behavioral state that is reversed by activation of direct retinal signals to the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in a manner equivalent to treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. Surprisingly, the DRN-projecting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are indistinguishable from the classic alpha/Y-like RGC type that contributes to image-forming visual pathways. Silencing RGC firing or specific immunotoxin ablation of DRN-projecting RGCs increased depressive-like behavior and reduced serotonin levels in the DRN. Serotonin has a key role in the pathophysiology of depression, and these results demonstrate that retino-raphe signals modulate DRN serotonergic tone and affective behavior.