Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42185310›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

GABA signaling in NG2 glia mediates empathy-like behavior under observational social defeat.

Yujin Jian, Shengyu Jin, Peng Liu, Xiaoli Zheng, Xiaoqi Hong, Yong Han, Alexey Semyanov, Shumin Duan, Xiaoping Tong

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yujin Jian *Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-7658-0316
Shengyu Jin *Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Peng Liu *Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ministry of Education and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, SMMU, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoli ZhengDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoqi HongDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yong HanSongjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0768-046X
Alexey SemyanovDepartment of Physiology, Jiaxing University College of Medicine, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-0942
Shumin DuanLiangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. duanshumin@zju.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0466-1821
Xiaoping TongDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. xtong@shsmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0908-8091

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Empathy, ranging from emotional contagion to consolation, is central to social cognition. While neural mechanisms of observed pain are well studied, how witnessing trauma affects empathy-related behaviors remains unclear. Using an observational social defeat (OSD) model, we find that OSD-exposed mice display enhanced allogrooming toward defeated conspecifics, indicating increased consolation behavior. Whole-brain cFos mapping and fiber photometry reveal selective activation of medial amygdala (MeA) GABAergic neurons during empathic allogrooming. NG2 glia modulate this behavior via GABA signaling; their specific ablation in the MeA reduces inhibitory synaptic transmission, disinhibiting neighboring GABAergic neurons and increasing allogrooming. Single-cell RNA analysis reveals that GABA signaling originates from Gad1-expressing NG2 glia. Genetic knockout of Gad1 in NG2 glia recapitulates the phenotype. This mechanism requires elevated corticosterone induced by social defeat. Our findings highlight the role of NG2 glia-GABA neuron interactions in promoting prosocial empathy and suggest targeting GABA signaling in NG2 glia as a potential therapeutic strategy for vicarious trauma.

Indexed as

Empathygamma-Aminobutyric AcidNeurogliaProteoglycansSocial DefeatAmygdalaAnimalsBehavior, AnimalChondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4CorticosteroneGABAergic NeuronsGlutamate DecarboxylaseMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutChondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4Corticosteronegamma-Aminobutyric AcidGlutamate Decarboxylaseglutamate decarboxylase 1Proteoglycans

Identifiers

PMID42185310
PMCPMC13385396

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.