The Role of Molecular Clock Genes in Astrocytes of the Nucleus Accumbens in Reward- and Mood-Related Behavior in Mice

Abstract

As an adaptation to life on Earth, mammalian physiology dramatically changes through the duration of the day, and these temporal programs are regulated by an internal timekeeping system (1). A recent publication by Becker-Krail et al. (1) explored the importance of the molecular clock gene Bmal1 in a brain region involved in reward- and mood-related behavior. However, the publication includes a bold claim. The authors falsely state that the described work is the first to explore the role of the circadian system in astrocytes of the nucleus accumbens (NAc).