The role of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in depression-like behaviour is unclear, as pro-depressive and antidepressive functions for this receptor have been described. Shin et al. found that mice lacking mGluR5 were more susceptible to depression-like behaviour after stress. Targeted re-expression of mGluR5 in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) reversed this phenotype, and in wild-type mice, mGluR5 levels in the NAc correlated with resilience. These findings suggest that NAc mGluR5 promotes resilience to stress-induced depression.