PMC

(A) Illustration of the herpes simplex virus-hM4Di green fluorescent protein transgene amplicon (B) Illustration of rat brain coordinates (Paxinos plate 32, −3.6 mm) used for viral vector infusion. The red oval depicts the target zone for the viral vector unilaterally. MHb: Medial habenula, LHb: Lateral habenula (C) Representative histological plate of demonstrating viral vector injection from a coronal section of the LHb four days after viral vector infusion.

Viral vector was injected into the LHb and a modified forced swim test was performed. Rats treated with CNO (1 mg/kg, i.p., n=5) demonstrated an increase in swim time and a decrease in immobility time compared to vehicle treated rats (n=7). Rats treated with CNO, but with missed LHb injections (lateral to the lateral boundary of the LHb; n=3) did not demonstrate reversal of behavioral effects in the forced swim test. p< 0.001, significantly differs from vehicle-treated group.

(A) Illustration of the FLEX Viral vector design. L-ITR: Left inverted terminal repeat, R-ITR: Right inverted terminal repeat, WPRE: Woodchuck hepatitis post-transcriptional regulatory element (B) Illustration of LHb rat brain coordinates (Paxinos plate 32, −3.6 mm) used for viral vector infusion. The red oval depicts the target zone for the viral vector infusion. MHb: Medial habenula, LHb: Lateral habenula (C) Representative histological plate demonstrating viral vector injection from a coronal section of the LHb twenty four days after viral vector infusion (GFP signal is enhanced using an anti-GFP antibody).