From chronic pain to depression: Neurogenesis-driven microglial remodeling in the hippocampal dentate gyrus - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #depression
- #neurogenesis
- #chronic pain
- Chronic pain can lead to depression and anxiety, but the mechanisms are unclear.
- Hippocampal volume increases in early pain stages but declines with comorbid depression.
- The dentate gyrus (DG) is a key hub in this transition; DG lesions prevent affective symptoms.
- Elevated DG activity is linked to hyperactive newborn neurons and microglial recruitment, causing circuit imbalance.
- Suppressing newborn neuron activity alleviates emotional pathology but impairs cognition.
- Microglial modulation selectively restores affective behavior without affecting cognition.
- Microglia-mediated hippocampal remodeling is a key mechanism linking chronic pain to mood disorders.