Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42803875›Full record

ArticleCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2026

mTORC1 Activation Links Chronic Stress to Meso-Circuit Desynchronization and Accelerated Amyloid Pathology via Autophagic Dysfunction.

Yang Zou, Jun Yang, Yang Li, Guodong Wang, Wen Lu, Xiaoping Chen, Xingxing Ma, Kehan Chen, Peng Liang, Yinghui Wu and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

11 authors.

Yang ZouCenter for Medical Research, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2328-7066
Jun YangThe Department of Neurosurgery, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Yang LiDepartment of Pharmacy, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6428-3113
Guodong WangDepartment of Oncology, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Wen LuDepartment of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Xiaoping ChenCenter for Medical Research, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Xingxing MaCenter for Medical Research, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Kehan ChenCenter for Medical Research, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Peng LiangCenter for Medical Research, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6636-5254
Yinghui WuDepartment of Pathology, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.
Tao ZhuoDepartment of Interventional Ultrasound, The First People's Hospital of Yulin, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Yulin, Guangxi, China.

Funding

2025 Bethune Charitable Foundation Shining Across China-Medicinal Research Fund Z04J2025E1702025 Clinical Rational Drug Use Practice Research HXXT-KY-LCYY2025MS-0145Guangxi Science and Technology Major Project GuikeAA22096030
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough depression is a potent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the underlying causal mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the molecular and circuit-level mechanisms linking chronic stress to accelerated AD pathogenesis and evaluated the therapeutic potential of precise mTORC1 targeting.

methodsA chronic restraint stress (CRS) paradigm was established in 5xFAD mice. Multi-scale neurofunctional and histopathological alterations were deconstructed using behavioral profiling, wide-field and two-photon calcium imaging, immunofluorescence, and bulk RNA-sequencing. Pharmacological intervention was conducted using the specific mTORC1 inhibitor EN6.

resultsCRS severely impaired cortical slow-wave oscillations and induced aberrant prefrontal single-neuron hyperactivity, exacerbating cognitive decline. These network deficits were accompanied by accelerated AD hallmarks, including elevated Aβ deposition, dystrophic neurite aggravation, and reactive gliosis. Mechanistically, transcriptomic profiling and biochemical validation revealed that chronic stress suppresses autophagic pathways via selective hyperactivation of mTORC1 signaling rather than the AMPK pathway. Time-course analysis showed that mTORC1 activation and autophagy-related abnormalities preceded overt Aβ accumulation, while pharmacological mTOR activation with MHY1485 further aggravated autophagic impairment and increased Aβ42 levels. Crucially, targeted mTORC1 inhibition with EN6 ameliorated autophagy-related abnormalities and was associated with reduced BACE1 abundance and CTFβ generation, together with a diminished global Aβ burden. This microenvironmental stabilization attenuated neuroinflammation, realigned neural networks, and rescued both cognitive and emotional deficits.

conclusionChronic stress-induced mTORC1 hyperactivation is associated with autophagic impairment, contributing to macro-circuit desynchronization and accelerated amyloid accumulation. Targeting the mTORC1-autophagy axis represents a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate neural network breakdown and neuropathology in stress-related neurodegenerative conditions.

Indexed as

Amyloid beta-PeptidesAutophagyMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1PyrazolesStress, PsychologicalAlzheimer DiseaseAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalEnzyme ActivationFemaleMaleMiceMolecular Targeted TherapyRestraint, PhysicalAmyloid beta-Peptidesautophagy activator EN6Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1PyrazolesAlzheimer's diseaseautophagydepression comorbiditymTOR signalingneural network

Identifiers

PMID42803875
PMCPMC13618737

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.