Ventral Tegmental Area Dysfunction and Disruption of Dopaminergic Homeostasis: Implications for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition characterized by intrusive recollections of the traumatic event, avoidance behaviors, hyper-arousal to event-related cues, cognitive disruption, and mood dysregulation. Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence implicates dysfunction of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic system in PTSD pathogenesis. This article reviews recent advances in our knowledge of the relationship between dopaminergic dyshomeostasis and PTSD, including the contributions of specific dopaminergic gene variants to disease susceptibility, alterations in VTA dopamine neuron activity, dysregulation of dopaminergic transmission, and potential pharmacological and psychological interventions for PTSD targeting the dopaminergic system. An in-depth understanding of PTSD etiology is crucial for the development of innovative risk assessment, diagnostic, and treatment strategies following traumatic events.

A highly luminescent Mn4+ activated LaAlO3 far-red-emitting phosphor for plant growth LEDs: charge compensation induced Mn4+ incorporation.

As a potential far-red-emitting candidate for plant growth LEDs, Mn4+ activated oxide phosphors have brand-new application prospects. However, it remains a significant challenge to develop highly efficient far-red-emitting phosphors due to their intrinsic energy loss in a large Stokes shift. Herein, we present a rational charge compensation strategy with a fusible charge compensator MgF2 at the molecular level to synthesize a LaAlO3:Mn4+,Mg2+ far-red-emitting phosphor. Notably, MgF2 can play an essential role in the incorporation of Mn4+ into the crystal matrix during the high-temperature solid-state reaction process, and thus induce a highly luminescent phosphor with a quantum yield of 78.6% and appropriate thermal stability. The fabrication of a high-performance far-red-emitting phosphor-converted LED further identifies the application potential of the modified Mn4+ activated LaAlO3 phosphor. This finding sheds light on the further exploration of high-grade far-red phosphors.