Role of Supramammillary Nucleus Derived Substance P in Regulating Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Depression and Anxiety-Like Behaviour

Accumulating evidence showed the adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) has played an essential role in regulating cognitive functions and emotions, while the other potential regulator such as the neuropeptides has still received less attention.. In the nestin-GFP mice, our data showed that the SP-overexpressed SuM neurons inhibited the proliferation of radial neural stem cells (rNSCs) and reduced the cell densities of immature and proliferating neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG). All of these processes were accompanied by depression and anxiety-like behaviours, including the reduced exploration, the lower sucrose preference, and the prolonged immobility. However, the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1-R) antagonist could reversed those behavioural deficits. Together, our study demonstrated that SP was an essential inhibitor of AHN and emotional behaviours, while the NK1-R antagonism may provide a potential therapeutic strategy for depression and anxiety-like behaviours.