Inhibitory corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex promote stress-resilient behavior in male rodents.

Adaptive behavior in response to adverse experiences facilitates faster recovery and less time spent engaging in maladaptive behaviors that contribute to psychopathology, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dysregulation of activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been implicated in these disorders, with stress further exacerbating these negative effects. Corticotropin-releasing factor is an important regulator of the stress-response system and may have a differential involvement in individuals who are especially susceptible to negative stress-related outcomes. A recent study by Chen et al. (Chen P, Lou S, Huang ZH, Wang Z, Shan QH, Wang Y, Yang Y, Li X, Gong H, Jin Y, Zhang Z, Zhou Z. Neuron 106: 301-315, 2020) has identified a novel subtype of GABAergic CRF interneurons in the dorsomedial PFC that, upon activation, can promote active responses and resilient behavior in response to stress.