Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29075568›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2017

Divergent anomaly in mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic circuits might be associated with different depressive behaviors, an animal study.

Mei Bai, Xiongzhao Zhu, Li Zhang, Yi Zhang, Liang Xue, Yuting Wang, Mingtian Zhong, Xiuwu Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain and behavior, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Role of chronotype in depression.World journal of psychiatry · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Mei BaiMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Xiongzhao ZhuMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.ORCID 0000-0002-0153-7163
Li ZhangMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Yi ZhangMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.ORCID 0000-0002-3931-5072
Liang XueMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Yuting WangMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Mingtian ZhongMedical Psychological Institute Second Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Xiuwu ZhangDepartment of Radiation Oncology School of Medicine University of Maryland Baltimore MD USA.
Central South University · CNUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, which originates from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projects primarily to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), olfactory tubercle (OT), nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (ST), and the amygdala (AMy), plays a pivotal role in determining individual motivation and sensitivity to rewards, namely, anhedonia. Not all depressive individuals exhibited anhedonia, thus, it is natural to speculate that the heterogenous manifestations of depression might be related to the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. Maternal deprivation (MD) and chronic unpredictable stress (CUPS) are two well-established depressogenic stressors, and they were proven to induce different depressive phenotypes.

methodsThe depressive and anxiety-like behaviors of MD and CUPS-treated rats were measured by classical behavioral tests including open field, forced swimming, and sucrose preference test. The expression of D1-5 dopamine receptors and DAT mRNA and protein in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system of rats exposed to MD and CUPS were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively.

resultsSevere anhedonia was observed in MD but not CUPS rats. Divergent expression of D1 and D2 receptors and DAT mRNA and protein in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system were found between MD and CUPS rats. Significant correlations between different depressive behaviors and D1-/D2-like receptors and DAT protein levels in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system were observed.

conclusionDifferent depressive behaviors of rats such as anhedonia, passive coping behavior, and declined exploratory interest might be related to divergent dopaminergic pathways. Anhedonia is associated with the dysfunction of VTA-NAc and VTA-OT dopaminergic pathways, the passive coping behavior is related to the dysregulation of VTA-PFC and VTA-AMy pathways, and individual exploratory interest is associated with abnormal activity of VTA-PFC and VTA-ST pathways.

Indexed as

DepressionAmygdalaAnhedoniaAnimalsBehavior, AnimalBehavior Rating ScaleDopamineDopamine Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsMalePrefrontal CortexRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReceptors, Dopamine D1Receptors, Dopamine D2RewardVentral StriatumDopamineDopamine Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsReceptors, Dopamine D1Receptors, Dopamine D2anhedoniachronic unpredictable stressDATdepressive behaviorsdopamine receptorexplorary interestmaternal deprivation stressmesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathwayspassive coping behaviorrodents

Identifiers

PMID29075568
PMCPMC5651392
OpenAlexW2753588650

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.