The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is producing a psychological health emergency. Social isolation (SI), necessary to control infection, negatively affects psychological state with more severe consequences on vulnerable categories. In particular, increased SI-induced depression has been observed in women compared to men. Moreover, individual response to this stressful situation has been reported to be related to coping strategy mediated by attachment style.
To note, infant-caregiver bond critically impacts development of dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic circuit, notoriously involved in coping strategies and mood disorders, in a sex-specific manner. We thus hypothesize that SI-induced depression can be mediated by sex-specific modifications of this circuit induced by attachment bond alteration. The aim of this project is to investigate, in a mouse model, the neurobiological alterations of ventral tegmental area (the core of this circuit) and the related psychopathological consequences, due to the interaction among attachment bond alteration, sex differences and late SI. In particular, according to next-generation mRNA-Sequencing preliminary results, we aim to investigate the role of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, altered in a sex-specific manner after attachment bond alteration and involved in etiology of depression. Finally, we aim to investigate a social rescue strategy to prevent the increased vulnerability to depression induced by social isolation.
Public health measures applied to control COVID-19 transmission aim to resolve medical consequences, but pay less attention to consequences on mental health. Social distancing and self-isolation measures, necessary to control infection and protect physical health, negatively affected psychological well-being. Interindividual differences has been observed in perception of isolation distress with more severe consequences on vulnerable categories. In particular, increased social isolation-induced depression has been observed in women compared to men. Moreover, interaction between attachment style and response to stress responsivity is known. For this reason, with this project, I want to focus the attention on psychological health emergency due to social restriction measures on vulnerable categories, investigating the neurobiological substrates that mediate the relation between attachment bond alteration and social isolation induced-depression, adopting a gender-based approach. Indeed, shedding light on attachment bond alteration induced-neuroadaptations able to drives increased psychopathology vulnerability is vital for the development of novel therapeutic agents for social isolation-related disorders. Deeply to investigate the relation among early life experience (attachment bond alterations), PI3k-AKT signalling pathway alterations and vulnerability to social isolation induced depression, can lay the foundation to a future potential personalized treatment for vulnerable categories. Finally, with this project I also aim to investigate a possible psychosocial rescue protocol. Analysing the rescue effects of early social enrichment can promote innovative strategies to work not only on treatment but also on the prevention of this vulnerability.