Effects of Stathmin 1 Gene Knockout on Behaviors and Dopaminergic Markers in Mice Exposed to Social Defeat Stress

Stathmin ( ), a microtubule-destabilizing factor, can regulate fear, anxiety, and learning. Social defeat stress (SDS) has detrimental effects on mental health and increases the risk of various psychiatric diseases. This study investigated the effects of gene knockout (KO) on behavioral parameters and dopaminergic markers using an SDS mouse model. The KO mice showed anxious hyperactivity, impaired object recognition, and decreased levels of neutral and social investigating behaviors at baseline compared to wild-type (WT) mice. The impact of SDS on neutral, social investigating and dominant behaviors differed markedly between the WT and KO mice. In addition, different levels of total DARPP-32 and pDARPP-32 Thr75 expression were observed among the control, unsusceptible, and susceptible groups of KO mice. Our results show that has specific roles in locomotion, object recognition, and social interactions. Moreover, SDS had differential impacts on social interactions and dopaminergic markers between WT and KO mice.