Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40629102›Full record

ArticleNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology2025

nNOS-expressing neurons in the mPFC mediate depression-related behaviors in mice through pPVT-mPFC projections.

Hai-Ying Liang, Zhi-Bin Zhao, Zhen Liu, James Samsom, Kai-Hong Chen, Ying Chen, Li-Ling Chen, Cheng-Yun Cai, Fang Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Simvastatin rescues cognitive impairment in an AβNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
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

9 authors.

Hai-Ying Liang *Department of Pharmacy, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
Zhi-Bin Zhao *Department of Pharmacy, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
Zhen LiuDepartment of Pharmacy, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
James SamsomCampbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2183-160X
Kai-Hong ChenDepartment of Cardiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
Ying ChenDepartment of Anaesthesia, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
Li-Ling ChenDepartment of Cardiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
Cheng-Yun CaiInstitute of Mental Health and Drug Discovery, Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), School of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. caichengyun86@163.com.
Fang LiuCampbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. fang.liu@camh.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5414-4160

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation) BK2020966Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation) LMS25H090011
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, but its etiology remains poorly understood. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has been implicated in depression, but the role of nNOS-expressing neurons is still unknown. We used chemogenetic strategies to show that nNOS-expressing neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are essential for depression-related behaviors. Using electrophysiology, we determined that mPFC nNOS-expressing neurons receive projections from the posterior subregion of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (pPVT). We show that excitatory projections from the pPVT onto mPFC nNOS-expressing neurons regulate depression-related behaviors. We further explore a mechanism in which activation of mPFC nNOS-expressing neurons leads to the subsequent release of nitric oxide (NO), which enhances the nitrosylation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5). Our data suggest a mechanism for depression involving excitatory pPVT projections onto nNOS-expressing neurons in the mPFC that represents a potential target for future treatments.

Indexed as

DepressionMidline Thalamic NucleiNeuronsNitric Oxide Synthase Type IPrefrontal CortexAnimalsCyclin-Dependent Kinase 5MaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicNeural PathwaysNitric OxideCyclin-Dependent Kinase 5Nitric OxideNitric Oxide Synthase Type INos1 protein, mouse

Identifiers

PMID40629102
PMCPMC12339934

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.