In other studies examining c-Fos expression in the DRN following diverse non-light related stimulation (e.g., REM sleep, swim stress, depression), c-Fos expression was observed almost exclusively in DRN GABA neurons, which could then modulate serotonergic tone through inhibitory synaptic connections with 5-HT neurons48, 49, 50, 51. Here, FOS is linked to major depressive disorder.