# molecular mechanisms of dendritic remodeling in depression

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2020 · $67,446

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Depression takes an enormous toll on individual and economic health. Although current antidepressant therapies
provide relief for some individuals, many patients are inadequately treated which can lead to suicide. Thus, there
is desperate need to identify new targets for depression treatment. A growing body of preclinical and clinical
work implicates maladaptive signaling in the nucleus accumbens in the etiology of depression. Here I aim to
identify how dendritic remodeling of nucleus accumbens projection neurons contributes to depression
development and symptomology in a preclinical model of depression. Using this model, I have collected
preliminary data showing increased dendritic atrophy and upregulation of a dendritic complexity molecule RhoA
in specific nucleus accumbens neurons. Further, pharmacological manipulation of RhoA in the nucleus
accumbens can promote or prevent depressive outcomes to stress. In this study, we intend to utilize cutting-
edge molecular and in vivo imaging techniques to investigate how RhoA mediates dendritic atrophy and
depression-like behavior in specific nucleus accumbens neurons. Specific aim 1 utilizes novel genetic tools to
express active and inactive RhoA in select cell types. We will characterize how active and inactive RhoA
contribute to depression-like behavior and assess their roles in promoting or preventing depressive outcomes to
social stress. Specific aim 2 utilizes in vivo imaging to test whether blocking active RhoA in select cell types can
prevent decreases in neural activity found in mice displaying depressive behaviors. Together, these experiments
will provide new information on the molecular mechanisms of dendritic remodeling in depression, which has the
potential to inform about future depression therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9853840
- **Project number:** 5F32MH116574-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Megan Elizabeth Fox
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $67,446
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-13 → 2020-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9853840

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9853840, molecular mechanisms of dendritic remodeling in depression (5F32MH116574-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9853840. Licensed CC0.

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