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SCIENTIFIC REPORTS - Depression is a major problem of contemporary society, with limited treatment efficacy due to incomplete understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in stress response and depression, but the neuronal mechanisms are still debated. We induced a depressive-like behavior in mice by chronic social defeat stress. mPFC neuronal activity was recorded in cortical slices of susceptible mice that developed social avoidance, in resilient and in controls not subjected to the stress protocol.

Our study shows dramatic change in length and level of unsaturation of lipids in synaptosomes isolated from Elovl5 knock-out mice. These results suggest that the shift in PUFA lipidic species caused by the absence of Elovl5, in the cerebellar cortex, is responsible for specific deficits in neurotransmitter release.