The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has emerged as one of the regions most consistently impaired in
major depressive disorder (MDD). Although functional and structural PFC abnormalities …

The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly
25,000 publications since 1930 (see, as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for …

Anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure from rewarding or enjoyable activities and
is a core symptom of depression in humans. Here, we describe a protocol for the …

Background The realization that the microbiota-gut-brain axis plays a critical role in health
and disease, including neuropsychiatric disorders, is rapidly advancing. Nurturing a …

The goal of the present protocol is to describe the forced swim test (FST), which is one of the
most commonly used assays for the study of depressive-like behavior in rodents. The FST is …

Depression has become one of the most severe psychiatric disorders and endangers the
health of living beings all over the world. In order to explore the molecular mechanism that …

Depression is a debilitating condition with a profound impact on quality of life for millions of
people worldwide. Physical exercise is used as a treatment strategy for many patients, but …

Background Accumulating evidence suggests that commensal bacteria consumption has the
potential to have a positive impact on stress‐related psychiatric disorders. However, the …

Although the etiology and expression of psychiatric disorders are complex, mammals show
biologically preserved behavioral and neurobiological responses to valent stimuli which …

The forced swim test (FST) is one of the most commonly used animal models for assessing
antidepressant-like behavior. This protocol details using the FST in rats, which takes place …