Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-16DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102855
Vittoria Spero , Sabrina D’Amelio , Sonia Eligini , Raffaella Molteni , Cristina Banfi , Maria Grazia Cattaneo
{"title":"The neurobiology of major depressive disorder: Updates and perspectives from proteomics","authors":"Vittoria Spero , Sabrina D’Amelio , Sonia Eligini , Raffaella Molteni , Cristina Banfi , Maria Grazia Cattaneo","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102855","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102855","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a widespread and disabling condition whose etiology and pathophysiology are not fully understood. Furthermore, pharmacological treatment of MDD poses challenging aspects, including delayed therapeutic effects, ineffectiveness against the so-called \"residual symptoms\", and a high proportion of non-responder patients. On these bases, it is crucial to recognize the key molecular systems and mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of MDD in order to improve diagnostic tools and develop more effective pharmacological strategies. In this context, proteomics is a highly effective tool for simultaneously identifying and quantifying a large number of proteins within biological samples. This review will describe and discuss proteomic data from stress-based experimental models of MDD as well as from human brains and bodily fluids (<em>e.g.,</em> cerebrospinal fluid and plasma), with the aim of elucidating the neurobiological counterparts of this psychiatric disorder. These findings will be summarized in an attempt to provide comprehensive maps of the biological systems involved in MDD, offering new insights into the molecular basis of different disease subtypes and paving the way to personalized diagnostic and treatment strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 102855"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145550279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102843
Sigurd L. Alnes , Ellen van Maren , Camille G. Mignardot , Ida Boccalaro , Thea Waldleben , Debora Ledergerber , Lennart H. Stieglitz , Markus Schmidt , Antoine Adamantidis , Lukas L. Imbach , Kaspar Schindler , Maxime O. Baud , Athina Tzovara
{"title":"Auditory responses in the temporal lobe are modulated by slow waves of sleep","authors":"Sigurd L. Alnes , Ellen van Maren , Camille G. Mignardot , Ida Boccalaro , Thea Waldleben , Debora Ledergerber , Lennart H. Stieglitz , Markus Schmidt , Antoine Adamantidis , Lukas L. Imbach , Kaspar Schindler , Maxime O. Baud , Athina Tzovara","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Auditory stimulation during non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep has sparked remarkable interest for neuromodulation of sleep and improvement of memory and cognition. Yet, the electrophysiology of auditory brain responses in sleep remains elusive. Here, we studied auditory processing in the temporal lobe in humans using invasive electroencephalography recordings. We found that the auditory response hierarchy of wakefulness weakens during NREM sleep. NREM sleep instead exhibits two types of responses: (a) intracranial event-related potentials in the lateral and medial temporal lobe that are modulated by slow wave activity and are stronger and faster when sounds occur at or after the peak of local slow waves; (b) high-frequency responses in the temporal cortex, a proxy for neural firing, which are not affected by slow waves. These findings show slow wave resilient and slow wave dependent mechanisms for monitoring the environment during sleep and can drive future interventions based on auditory stimulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 102843"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145435520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-20DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102820
Jiayu Wang , Rui Zhang , Xingya Cai , Rendong Tang , Zhuoyue Dai , Haidong D. Lu
{"title":"Stimulus-driven rivalry among V1 neurons","authors":"Jiayu Wang , Rui Zhang , Xingya Cai , Rendong Tang , Zhuoyue Dai , Haidong D. Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Binocular rivalry (BR) is a fascinating phenomenon in which the presentation of two different images to each eye leads to alternating perceptual experiences. During BR, cortical activation is influenced by both stimulus-related factors (e.g., image incongruence) and top-down cognitive processes such as attention. Disentangling the contributions of these factors has remained a challenge. Anesthetized animal models offer a unique opportunity to isolate purely stimulus-driven neural activity, eliminating confounds from higher cognitive and behavioral processes. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we recorded neuronal responses to BR stimuli in areas V1 and V2 of anesthetized macaques. We found that under BR stimulation, V1 neurons exhibited ongoing response fluctuations whose magnitude varied across cells and closely resembled activity patterns during physical stimulus alternation (SA). Key characteristics of these fluctuations mirrored those typical of perceptual BR. The strength of fluctuation in individual neurons correlated with their ocular dominance and orientation selectivity. Similar patterns observed in V2 suggest that such rivalry-like activity propagates along the visual hierarchy. Together, these results demonstrate that early sensory mechanisms in V1 can generate BR-like alternations independently of conscious processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 102820"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144966530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-10-12DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102842
Alessia Sepe , Matteo Panormita , Qi Zhu , Xiaolian Li , David A. Leopold , Marco Tamietto , Luca Bonini , Wim Vanduffel
{"title":"Lateralized visuotopic organization in the macaque superior colliculus revealed by fMRI","authors":"Alessia Sepe , Matteo Panormita , Qi Zhu , Xiaolian Li , David A. Leopold , Marco Tamietto , Luca Bonini , Wim Vanduffel","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The superior colliculus (SC) integrates multisensory inputs from retinal, subcortical, and cortical regions within a map of visual space to support orienting and interactive behaviors. While early models suggested that the SC primarily represents peripheral space for target detection, recent evidence highlights its significant foveal representation, essential for precisely targeting objects. Using ultra-high-resolution phase-encoding fMRI and spatially localized stimuli, we mapped the visuotopic organization of the SC in six macaques up to 40° eccentricity. In addition to confirming previous findings, we identified consistent interhemispheric asymmetries in the fMRI signal. The left SC, unlike the right, displayed a clear eccentricity map with a smooth rostro-caudal progression of responses to stimuli of increasing eccentricity from the fovea to the periphery. Conversely, the right SC showed no evidence of a pronounced eccentricity map and, instead, it exhibited more prominent polar angle maps and spatially broader fMRI responses to peripheral stimuli compared to the left SC. These lateralized responses were consistent across stimulus types and imaging protocols and were mirrored only in the intraparietal sulcus, a major cortical input to the SC. The observed asymmetry may derive from differences in magnification factor, intercollicular or surround inhibition between the left and right SC. Regardless of the underlying mechanism, our results suggest that functional lateralization in nonhuman primates may be more prevalent than previously recognized.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 102842"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145293400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-10-11DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102841
Margarita Kapustina , Brianna N. Bristow , Mark S. Cembrowski
{"title":"Distinct Layer 6b transcriptomic subtypes parcellate the cortical mantle","authors":"Margarita Kapustina , Brianna N. Bristow , Mark S. Cembrowski","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Layer 6b (L6b) neurons are a sparse population of deep neocortical neurons that govern both healthy and disordered brain states. L6b neurons have qualitatively been characterized as a thin lamina within the deepest layer of the cerebral cortex, yet the precise cell-type-specific properties and spatial organization of these neurons across the cortical mantle remain unresolved. Here, we combine single-cell RNA sequencing, highly multiplexed fluorescent <em>in situ</em> hybridization, and single-cell spatial transcriptomics to comprehensively characterize L6b cell-type identity, molecular heterogeneity, and spatial organization. In doing so, we identify and spatially resolve multiple distinct L6b subtypes with unique molecular signatures. To investigate the spatial organization of these subtypes across the brain, we generated a single-cell spatial transcriptomics dataset comprising 450,496 cells, offering the most extensive spatial mapping of L6b subtypes to date. Using a data-driven approach to analyze this dataset, we identify that the spatial patterning of L6b varies across the cortical mantle according to a patchwork-like composition of subtypes, which can notably extend beyond the classically defined deep location of L6b for some subtypes. We also find that L6b neurons can be transcriptionally separable but spatially intermingled with Layer 6a neurons, illustrating that a deep location within the cortex is neither sufficient nor necessary for assessing L6b identity. Our work provides the most comprehensive cellular phenotyping of L6b to date, reveals a cell-type-specific spatial-molecular framework for interpreting L6b properties and function, and will guide future investigations on the role of L6b cell subtypes and molecules in brain health and disorder.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 102841"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145286844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102834
Katrina Lin, Laurence Coutellier
{"title":"Evidence for the involvement of a fronto-striatal pathway in the processing of social reward","authors":"Katrina Lin, Laurence Coutellier","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102834","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102834","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social interactions are a hallmark of animal behavior and is essential for survival, cooperation, and reproduction. Despite its necessity, the neural mechanisms that drive social behavior, particularly the rewarding nature of social interactions, are not fully understood. Social behaviors are inherently rewarding, and this intrinsic value plays a key role in reinforcing and shaping social engagement. A growing body of work has sought to quantify social reward in rodents using behavioral paradigms such as social conditioned place preference and operant social motivation tasks, offering translational tools to probe underlying circuit mechanisms. Historically, this research has centered on the mesolimbic dopamine pathway, particularly the ventral tegmental area and its projections to the nucleus accumbens. However, emerging evidence supports a complementary role for prefrontal cortical (PFC) circuits in modulating social motivation and reward. The PFC integrates contextual and social information via distinct neuronal populations and exerts top-down control over behavior through its projections to subcortical targets such as the ventral striatum (vSTR). While prior research has implicated the PFC-vSTR pathway in general aspects of social behavior, its specific contribution to the encoding of social reward remains poorly defined. Here, we synthesize existing findings and propose a novel mechanism in which prefrontal parvalbumin (PV) interneurons regulate social reward by modulating PFC-vSTR output. We further consider how neuromodulators such as oxytocin and dopamine interact with this circuit to further influence social behavior. Elucidating the microcircuit-level control of social reward has significant implications for neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, where social motivation and reward processing are often disrupted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 102834"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"BNST-projecting histaminergic circuits mediate state-dependent anxiety behavior through post-synaptic histamine H3 receptors on GABAergic neurons","authors":"Wenkai Lin , Xinyan Zhu , Xuemin Yu , Qinyan Xia , Mengqi Yan, Yulan Li, Yanrong Zheng, Yi Wang, Heming Cheng, Zhong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102833","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the precise mechanisms underlying anxiety and anxiety disorders is crucial for identifying novel interventions. In this study, we report a histaminergic circuit targeting the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) that mediates anxiety-like behavior in mice. First, we observed a significant decrease in both histamine signaling and histaminergic fiber activity in the BNST when mice entered an anxious environment. Selective modulation of the BNST-projecting histaminergic circuit mediated state-dependent anxiety behaviors: activation directly induced an anxiogenic effect on naive mice, while inhibition produced a significant anxiolytic effect in mice in an anxious state rather than normal state. Pharmacological intervention revealed that the inhibition of histamine H3 receptors (H3Rs), rather than histamine H1 receptors (H1Rs) or histamine H2 receptors (H2Rs), in the BNST abolished the anxiogenic effect of histaminergic circuit activation. Finally, through optogenetic manipulation of spatial-specific H3Rs, we identified a critical role for anxiety regulation by post-synaptic H3Rs in the BNST GABAergic neurons, rather than pre-synaptic H3Rs from upstream inputs. Together, our results revealed a histaminergic circuit targeting the BNST that mediates state-dependent anxiety-like behaviors through post-synaptic H3Rs. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of anxiety and offer promising avenues for discovering novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 102833"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145221806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102823
Serdar Akkol , Akash Mishra , Noah Markowitz , Elizabeth Espinal , Menoua Keshishian , Nima Mesgarani , Charles Schroeder , Ashesh D. Mehta , Stephan Bickel
{"title":"Neural entrainment by speech in human auditory cortex revealed by intracranial recordings","authors":"Serdar Akkol , Akash Mishra , Noah Markowitz , Elizabeth Espinal , Menoua Keshishian , Nima Mesgarani , Charles Schroeder , Ashesh D. Mehta , Stephan Bickel","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Humans live in an environment that contains rich auditory stimuli, which must be processed efficiently. The entrainment of neural oscillations to acoustic inputs may support the processing of simple and complex sounds. However, the characteristics of this entrainment process have been shown to be inconsistent across species and experimental paradigms. It is imperative to establish whether neural activity in response to speech is a result of combination of simple evoked responses or of entrainment of neural oscillations in human participants. In this study, 12 participants with intracranial electrodes listened to natural speech and neural entrainment as evidenced by oscillatory activity persisting beyond the evoked responses was assessed. Neural activity was recorded from 165 contacts in Heschl’s gyrus and superior temporal gyrus. First, acoustic edges in the speech envelope induced coherence between speech and auditory cortex activity. Further, entrainment in the theta-alpha band outlasted the acoustic stimulation. This activity exceeded what could be expected from a simple evoked response. These findings suggest that speech has the potential to entrain neural oscillations in the human auditory cortex.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 102823"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145034119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102832
Marion Silvana Fernandez-Berrocal , Dagny Sanden Døskeland , Vidar Langseth Saasen , Anna Maria Bugaj , Nicolas Kunath , Mina Heggedal , Mouzuna Munir , Robert Christoffer Marthinsen , Milan Dekovic Ekeli , Katja Scheffler , Magnar Bjørås , Jing Ye
{"title":"NEIL3 shapes hippocampal network dynamics and fear memory through modulation of PV+ interneurons","authors":"Marion Silvana Fernandez-Berrocal , Dagny Sanden Døskeland , Vidar Langseth Saasen , Anna Maria Bugaj , Nicolas Kunath , Mina Heggedal , Mouzuna Munir , Robert Christoffer Marthinsen , Milan Dekovic Ekeli , Katja Scheffler , Magnar Bjørås , Jing Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102832","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102832","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dynamic balance between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) signaling is critical for hippocampal network function and memory processing. Here, we uncover a novel role for the DNA glycosylase Endonuclease VIII-like 3 (NEIL3) in maintaining this E/I balance through its impact on parvalbumin-positive (PV⁺) GABAergic interneurons. NEIL3 deficiency leads to a selective reduction in PV⁺ interneurons and impaired perineuronal net (PNN) integrity, likely contributing to further PV⁺ neuron dysfunction. These changes result in altered hippocampal oscillatory dynamics, including increased beta and low gamma power, and reduced high gamma and ripple activity. These network alterations are accompanied by distinct effects on fear memory, as demonstrated using contextual and trace fear conditioning paradigms. NEIL3-deficient mice exhibited enhanced extinction of contextual fear memory but impaired extinction of trace fear memory. These findings suggest that the integrity of inhibitory networks plays differential roles in the spatial versus temporal aspects of fear memory extinction. Transcriptomic analysis further reveals dysregulation of genes involved in glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling. Among these, <em>Gabra2</em> showed a marked downregulation, potentially driven by changes in promoter DNA methylation. This work identifies NEIL3 as an important regulator of the hippocampal inhibitory network, linking PV<sup>+</sup> interneuron integrity and oscillatory coordination to distinct memory outcomes, and offers potential mechanistic insight into processes that may contribute to cognitive deficits in disorders characterized by E/I imbalance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 102832"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Progress in NeurobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102831
D. Ávila-González , J. Lugo-Baca , F. Camacho-Barrios , A.E. Castro , D.M. Arzate , R. Paredes-Guerrero , N.F. Díaz , W. Portillo
{"title":"Transcriptomic shifts in Microtus ochrogaster neurogenic niches reveal psychiatric-risk pathways engaged by pair-bond formation","authors":"D. Ávila-González , J. Lugo-Baca , F. Camacho-Barrios , A.E. Castro , D.M. Arzate , R. Paredes-Guerrero , N.F. Díaz , W. Portillo","doi":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pair bonding (PB) is a stable affiliative relationship that confers profound behavioral and physiological advantages. The prairie vole (<em>Microtus ochrogaster</em>), one of the few socially monogamous mammals, provides a tractable model for dissecting the neurobiological substrates of social interactions. We previously showed that social co-habitation with mating (SCM) increases cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus (DG), implicating adult neurogenesis in bond formation. Here, we characterized the underlying molecular programs by bulk RNA-seq of the SVZ, DG and nucleus accumbens (NAc) at two time points, 48 h and 120 h, following SCM or isolated (control) housing. Across ∼ 18000 expressed genes, 286 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) emerged in the female SVZ and 540 in the females DG (120 h vs 48 h SCM), whereas male niches displayed markedly fewer transcriptional shifts, confirming pronounced sexual dimorphism. Gene ontology analysis revealed sustained upregulation of mitochondrial and oxidative-phosphorylation modules, coupled with downregulation of neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and cell migration pathways in females at 120 h. In vitro, SVZ-derived neurospheres from females mirrored these signatures: SCM increased the sphere number at 48 h, but neuronal output normalized by 120 h, indicating a transient neurogenic surge. Numerous zinc-finger transcripts and unannotated long non-coding RNAs were also regulated, hinting at vole-specific epigenetic controls. Strikingly, > 100 DEGs mapped to human psychiatric-risk loci. Autism disorder spectrum (ADS) and schizophrenia-associated orthologues (e.g., GRIN2A/B, KMT2A, UBE3A) were predominantly downregulated during bond consolidation in females, whereas isolation elevated major depressive disorder (MDD) markers (e.g., CACNA1H) in both sexes. These data suggest that pair-bond formation recruits transcriptional networks that overlap the genetic architecture of neuropsychiatric diseases, and that social isolation elicits an opposing, disorder-linked profile. Together, our results identified sex-specific, temporally phased molecular pathways that couple adult neurogenesis, energy metabolism, and psychiatric-risk gene networks to the establishment of enduring social bonds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20851,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Neurobiology","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 102831"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}