Skupio Urszula, Harris Alexander Z, Polter Abigail M
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA; Area Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA; Area Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Trends Neurosci. 2025 Jul 16. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2025.06.004.
Stress has profound impacts on the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, the complex and opposing effects of stress on the VTA have limited our ability to reach a clear understanding of how adaptation of the VTA can drive behavior following stress. In this review we provide an overview of VTA responses to acute and chronic stress, with a primary focus on studies in mice and rats. We propose that divergent responses to stress arise from the heterogeneity of VTA neurons, the multidimensional nature of stress, and interactive effects between cumulative stressors. We suggest that the robust and varied plasticity of the VTA in response to stress indicates a role for the VTA as an integrator of homeostatic and affective information during stress to drive flexible and nuanced adjustments in behavioral adaptation.
应激对腹侧被盖区（VTA）有深远影响。然而，应激对VTA产生的复杂且相反的作用限制了我们清晰理解VTA的适应性如何在应激后驱动行为的能力。在本综述中，我们概述了VTA对急性和慢性应激的反应，主要聚焦于小鼠和大鼠的研究。我们提出，对应激的不同反应源于VTA神经元的异质性、应激的多维度性质以及累积应激源之间的交互作用。我们认为，VTA对应激反应具有强大且多样的可塑性，这表明VTA在应激过程中作为稳态和情感信息的整合者，在驱动行为适应性的灵活且细微的调整中发挥作用。
