Activation of zona incerta gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons alleviates depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors induced by chronic restraint stress

Figure 2 Effects of chronic resistant stress on the electrophysiological properties of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons in the zona incerta in mice. A: Experimental timeline; B: Sample trace illustrating that chronic resistant stress (CRS) reduced the number of spikes in the zona incerta gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons in response to progressively depolarizing current injections, with a step size of 10 pA and a 400-millisecond duration (bottom); C: The relationship between the number of spikes and the amount of depolarizing current injected. CRS diminished repetitive action potential firing across the entire range of injected currents (10 pA to 100 pA); D: Sample traces indicated that CRS increased the rheobase current; E: CRS significantly increased the rheobase current; F: CRS resulted in hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potentials; G: CRS did not affect the action potential threshold; H: CRS had no impact on the afterhyperpolarization amplitude; I: CRS did not alter the amplitude of action potentials; J: CRS did not change the half-width of action potentials. ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01; control group, n = 10 cells from 3 mice; CRS group, n = 11 cells from 3 mice; Magnified scale bar = 20 µm; NS: Not significant; CRS: Chronic resistant stress.