Molecular profiles in amygdala relevant to the relief of chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced depression by periodic meeting confidantes

Abstract Social interaction with confidantes and living in groups are thought of as effective approaches to relieve affective disorders, especially major depression. The molecular mechanisms underlying this effectiveness remain largely unknown. Here, periodic interaction with confidante was used to study the effect of social support on depression-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS), and high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the miRNA and mRNA profiles in amygdala harvested from susceptible mice and resilience mice. The results showed that periodic interaction with confidante ameliorated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors, and 194 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found to be associated with depression-like behaviors, 29 DEGs associated with resilience behaviors, and 152 DEGs associated with periodic meeting confidante. In addition, 98 differentially expressed microRNAs are associated with the relief of depression by confidantes. The microRNA-mRNA network associated with confidante-relieved depression has been established in the amygdala, based on our studies in microRNA and mRNA profiles. Taken together, our studies have revealed the potential new approach to improve depression-like behaviors induced by chronic stress, as well as many potential drug targets to prevent and treat major depression.