1
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Kuroda KO, Fukumitsu K, Kurachi T, Ohmura N, Shiraishi Y, Yoshihara C. Parental brain through time: The origin and development of the neural circuit of mammalian parenting. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1534:24-44. [PMID: 38426943 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
This review consolidates current knowledge on mammalian parental care, focusing on its neural mechanisms, evolutionary origins, and derivatives. Neurobiological studies have identified specific neurons in the medial preoptic area as crucial for parental care. Unexpectedly, these neurons are characterized by the expression of molecules signaling satiety, such as calcitonin receptor and BRS3, and overlap with neurons involved in the reproductive behaviors of males but not females. A synthesis of comparative ecology and paleontology suggests an evolutionary scenario for mammalian parental care, possibly stemming from male-biased guarding of offspring in basal vertebrates. The terrestrial transition of tetrapods led to prolonged egg retention in females and the emergence of amniotes, skewing care toward females. The nocturnal adaptation of Mesozoic mammalian ancestors reinforced maternal care for lactation and thermal regulation via endothermy, potentially introducing metabolic gate control in parenting neurons. The established maternal care may have served as the precursor for paternal and cooperative care in mammals and also fostered the development of group living, which may have further contributed to the emergence of empathy and altruism. These evolution-informed working hypotheses require empirical validation, yet they offer promising avenues to investigate the neural underpinnings of mammalian social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumi O Kuroda
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Takuma Kurachi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nami Ohmura
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuko Shiraishi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Kawamura Gakuen Woman's University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Chihiro Yoshihara
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
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2
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Osakada T, Yan R, Jiang Y, Wei D, Tabuchi R, Dai B, Wang X, Zhao G, Wang CX, Liu JJ, Tsien RW, Mar AC, Lin D. A dedicated hypothalamic oxytocin circuit controls aversive social learning. Nature 2024; 626:347-356. [PMID: 38267576 PMCID: PMC11102773 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06958-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
To survive in a complex social group, one needs to know who to approach and, more importantly, who to avoid. In mice, a single defeat causes the losing mouse to stay away from the winner for weeks1. Here through a series of functional manipulation and recording experiments, we identify oxytocin neurons in the retrochiasmatic supraoptic nucleus (SOROXT) and oxytocin-receptor-expressing cells in the anterior subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus, ventrolateral part (aVMHvlOXTR) as a key circuit motif for defeat-induced social avoidance. Before defeat, aVMHvlOXTR cells minimally respond to aggressor cues. During defeat, aVMHvlOXTR cells are highly activated and, with the help of an exclusive oxytocin supply from the SOR, potentiate their responses to aggressor cues. After defeat, strong aggressor-induced aVMHvlOXTR cell activation drives the animal to avoid the aggressor and minimizes future defeat. Our study uncovers a neural process that supports rapid social learning caused by defeat and highlights the importance of the brain oxytocin system in social plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Rongzhen Yan
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yiwen Jiang
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dongyu Wei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rina Tabuchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bing Dai
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaohan Wang
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gavin Zhao
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Clara Xi Wang
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jing-Jing Liu
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard W Tsien
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adam C Mar
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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3
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Gruber T, Lechner F, Murat C, Contreras RE, Sanchez-Quant E, Miok V, Makris K, Le Thuc O, González-García I, García-Clave E, Althammer F, Krabichler Q, DeCamp LM, Jones RG, Lutter D, Williams RH, Pfluger PT, Müller TD, Woods SC, Pospisilik JA, Martinez-Jimenez CP, Tschöp MH, Grinevich V, García-Cáceres C. High-calorie diets uncouple hypothalamic oxytocin neurons from a gut-to-brain satiation pathway via κ-opioid signaling. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113305. [PMID: 37864798 PMCID: PMC10636643 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin-expressing paraventricular hypothalamic neurons (PVNOT neurons) integrate afferent signals from the gut, including cholecystokinin (CCK), to adjust whole-body energy homeostasis. However, the molecular underpinnings by which PVNOT neurons orchestrate gut-to-brain feeding control remain unclear. Here, we show that mice undergoing selective ablation of PVNOT neurons fail to reduce food intake in response to CCK and develop hyperphagic obesity on a chow diet. Notably, exposing wild-type mice to a high-fat/high-sugar (HFHS) diet recapitulates this insensitivity toward CCK, which is linked to diet-induced transcriptional and electrophysiological aberrations specifically in PVNOT neurons. Restoring OT pathways in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice via chemogenetics or polypharmacology sufficiently re-establishes CCK's anorexigenic effects. Last, by single-cell profiling, we identify a specialized PVNOT neuronal subpopulation with increased κ-opioid signaling under an HFHS diet, which restrains their CCK-evoked activation. In sum, we document a (patho)mechanism by which PVNOT signaling uncouples a gut-brain satiation pathway under obesogenic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Gruber
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA; Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA.
| | - Franziska Lechner
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Cahuê Murat
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Raian E Contreras
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Eva Sanchez-Quant
- Helmholtz Pioneer Campus (HPC), Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Viktorian Miok
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Konstantinos Makris
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Computational Discovery Research, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO), Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ophélia Le Thuc
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ismael González-García
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Elena García-Clave
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | - Quirin Krabichler
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lisa M DeCamp
- Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA
| | - Russell G Jones
- Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA
| | - Dominik Lutter
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Computational Discovery Research, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO), Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Rhiannan H Williams
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute for Neurogenomics, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Paul T Pfluger
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Research Unit NeuroBiology of Diabetes, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Neurobiology of Diabetes, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Timo D Müller
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapy, Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Eberhard Karls Hospitals and Clinics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephen C Woods
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - John Andrew Pospisilik
- Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA; Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA
| | - Celia P Martinez-Jimenez
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA; TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias H Tschöp
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Medicine, Technische Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany; Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Cristina García-Cáceres
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80336 Munich, Germany.
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4
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Fukumitsu K, Kuroda KO. Behavioral and histochemical characterization of sexually dimorphic responses to acute social isolation and reunion in mice. Neurosci Res 2023:S0168-0102(23)00071-8. [PMID: 37030575 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023]
Abstract
In many mammalian species, females exhibit higher sociability and gregariousness than males, presumably due to the benefit of group living for maternal care. We have previously reported that adult female mice exhibit contact-seeking behaviors upon acute social isolation via amylin-calcitonin receptor (Calcr) signaling in the medial preoptic area (MPOA). In this study, we examined the sex differences in the behavioral responses to acute social isolation and reunion, and the levels of amylin and Calcr expression in the MPOA. We found that male mice exhibited significantly less contact-seeking upon social isolation. Upon reunion, male mice contacted each other to a similar extent as females, but their interactions were more aggressive and less affiliative compared with females. While Calcr-expressing neurons were activated during social contacts in males as in females, the amylin and Calcr expression were significantly lower in males than in females. Together with our previous findings, these findings suggested that the lower expression of both amylin and Calcr may explain the lower contact-seeking and social affiliation of male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kansai Fukumitsu
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198 Japan.
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198 Japan.
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5
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Caria A. A Hypothalamic Perspective of Human Socioemotional Behavior. Neuroscientist 2023:10738584221149647. [PMID: 36703298 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221149647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Historical evidence from stimulation and lesion studies in animals and humans demonstrated a close association between the hypothalamus and typical and atypical socioemotional behavior. A central hypothalamic contribution to regulation of socioemotional responses was also provided indirectly by studies on oxytocin and arginine vasopressin. However, a limited number of studies have so far directly investigated the contribution of the hypothalamus in human socioemotional behavior. To reconsider the functional role of the evolutionarily conserved hypothalamic region in regulating human social behavior, here I provide a synthesis of neuroimaging investigations showing that the hypothalamus is involved in multiple and diverse facets of human socioemotional behavior through widespread functional interactions with other cortical and subcortical regions. These neuroimaging findings are then integrated with recent optogenetics studies in animals demonstrating that the hypothalamus plays a more active role in eliciting socioemotional responses and is not simply a downstream effector of higher-level brain systems. Building on the aforementioned evidence, the hypothalamus is argued to substantially contribute to a continuum of human socioemotional behaviors promoting survival and preservation of the species that extends from exploratory and approaching responses facilitating social bonding to aggressive and avoidance responses aimed to protect and defend formed relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caria
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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6
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Pekarek BT, Kochukov M, Lozzi B, Wu T, Hunt PJ, Tepe B, Hanson Moss E, Tantry EK, Swanson JL, Dooling SW, Patel M, Belfort BDW, Romero JM, Bao S, Hill MC, Arenkiel BR. Oxytocin signaling is necessary for synaptic maturation of adult-born neurons. Genes Dev 2022; 36:1100-1118. [PMID: 36617877 PMCID: PMC9851403 DOI: 10.1101/gad.349930.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neural circuit plasticity and sensory response dynamics depend on forming new synaptic connections. Despite recent advances toward understanding the consequences of circuit plasticity, the mechanisms driving circuit plasticity are unknown. Adult-born neurons within the olfactory bulb have proven to be a powerful model for studying circuit plasticity, providing a broad and accessible avenue into neuron development, migration, and circuit integration. We and others have shown that efficient adult-born neuron circuit integration hinges on presynaptic activity in the form of diverse signaling peptides. Here, we demonstrate a novel oxytocin-dependent mechanism of adult-born neuron synaptic maturation and circuit integration. We reveal spatial and temporal enrichment of oxytocin receptor expression within adult-born neurons in the murine olfactory bulb, with oxytocin receptor expression peaking during activity-dependent integration. Using viral labeling, confocal microscopy, and cell type-specific RNA-seq, we demonstrate that oxytocin receptor signaling promotes synaptic maturation of newly integrating adult-born neurons by regulating their morphological development and expression of mature synaptic AMPARs and other structural proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon T Pekarek
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Mikhail Kochukov
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Brittney Lozzi
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Timothy Wu
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Patrick J Hunt
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Burak Tepe
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hanson Moss
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Evelyne K Tantry
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Jessica L Swanson
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Sean W Dooling
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Mayuri Patel
- Development, Disease Models, and Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin D W Belfort
- Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Juan M Romero
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Suyang Bao
- Development, Disease Models, and Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Matthew C Hill
- Development, Disease Models, and Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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7
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Oztan O, Zyga O, Stafford DEJ, Parker KJ. Linking oxytocin and arginine vasopressin signaling abnormalities to social behavior impairments in Prader-Willi syndrome. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104870. [PMID: 36113782 PMCID: PMC11024898 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. Global hypothalamic dysfunction is a core feature of PWS and has been implicated as a driver of many of PWS's phenotypic characteristics (e.g., hyperphagia-induced obesity, hypogonadism, short stature). Although the two neuropeptides (i.e., oxytocin [OXT] and arginine vasopressin [AVP]) most implicated in mammalian prosocial functioning are of hypothalamic origin, and social functioning is markedly impaired in PWS, there has been little consideration of how dysregulation of these neuropeptide signaling pathways may contribute to PWS's social behavior impairments. The present article addresses this gap in knowledge by providing a comprehensive review of the preclinical and clinical PWS literature-spanning endogenous neuropeptide measurement to exogenous neuropeptide administration studies-to better understand the roles of OXT and AVP signaling in this population. The preponderance of evidence indicates that OXT and AVP signaling are indeed dysregulated in PWS, and that these neuropeptide pathways may provide promising targets for therapeutic intervention in a patient population that currently lacks a pharmacological strategy for its debilitating social behavior symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozge Oztan
- 1201 Welch Road, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Olena Zyga
- 1201 Welch Road, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Diane E J Stafford
- Center for Academic Medicine, 453 Quarry Road, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Karen J Parker
- 1201 Welch Road, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; 300 Pasteur Drive, Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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8
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Rigney N, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A, Young LJ. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6648172. [PMID: 35863332 PMCID: PMC9337272 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin and vasopressin are peptide hormones secreted from the pituitary that are well known for their peripheral endocrine effects on childbirth/nursing and blood pressure/urine concentration, respectively. However, both peptides are also released in the brain, where they modulate several aspects of social behaviors. Oxytocin promotes maternal nurturing and bonding, enhances social reward, and increases the salience of social stimuli. Vasopressin modulates social communication, social investigation, territorial behavior, and aggression, predominantly in males. Both peptides facilitate social memory and pair bonding behaviors in monogamous species. Here we review the latest research delineating the neural circuitry of the brain oxytocin and vasopressin systems and summarize recent investigations into the circuit-based mechanisms modulating social behaviors. We highlight research using modern molecular genetic technologies to map, monitor activity of, or manipulate neuropeptide circuits. Species diversity in oxytocin and vasopressin effects on social behaviors are also discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the translational implications of oxytocin and vasopressin for improving social functioning in disorders with social impairments, such as autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Rigney
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Geert J de Vries
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Aras Petrulis
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Correspondence: Larry J. Young, PhD, Emory National Primate Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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9
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Althammer F, Roy RK, Lefevre A, Najjar RS, Schoenig K, Bartsch D, Eliava M, Feresin RG, Hammock EA, Murphy AZ, Charlet A, Grinevich V, Stern JE. Altered PVN-to-CA2 hippocampal oxytocin pathway and reduced number of oxytocin-receptor expressing astrocytes in heart failure rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13166. [PMID: 35657290 PMCID: PMC9495289 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocinergic actions within the hippocampal CA2 are important for neuromodulation, memory processing and social recognition. However, the source of the OTergic innervation, the cellular targets expressing the OT receptors (OTRs) and whether the PVN-to-CA2 OTergic system is altered during heart failure (HF), a condition recently associated with cognitive and mood decline, remains unknown. Using immunohistochemistry along with retrograde monosynaptic tracing, RNAscope and a novel OTR-Cre rat line, we show that the PVN (but not the supraoptic nucleus) is an important source of OTergic innervation to the CA2. These OTergic fibers were found in many instances in close apposition to OTR expressing cells within the CA2. Interestingly, while only a small proportion of neurons were found to express OTRs (~15%), this expression was much more abundant in CA2 astrocytes (~40%), an even higher proportion that was recently reported for astrocytes in the central amygdala. Using an established ischemic rat heart failure (HF) model, we found that HF resulted in robust changes in the PVN-to-CA2 OTergic system, both at the source and target levels. Within the PVN, we found an increased OT immunoreactivity, along with a diminished OTR expression in PVN neurons. Within the CA2 of HF rats, we observed a blunted OTergic innervation, along with a diminished OTR expression, which appeared to be restricted to CA2 astrocytes. Taken together, our studies highlight astrocytes as key cellular targets mediating OTergic PVN inputs to the CA2 hippocampal region. Moreover, they provide the first evidence for an altered PVN-to-CA2 OTergic system in HF rats, which could potentially contribute to previously reported cognitive and mood impairments in this animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Althammer
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ranjan K. Roy
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Arthur Lefevre
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Rami S. Najjar
- Department of Nutrition, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Kai Schoenig
- Department of Molecular Biology Central Institute of Mental Health J5 68159 Mannheim Germany
| | - Dusan Bartsch
- Department of Molecular Biology Central Institute of Mental Health J5 68159 Mannheim Germany
| | - Marina Eliava
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Rafaela G. Feresin
- Department of Nutrition, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Elizabeth A.D. Hammock
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Anne Z. Murphy
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
| | - Alexandre Charlet
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Javier E. Stern
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Corresponding author: Javier E. Stern, M.D. Ph.D., Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-5030 United States, Tel: (1) 404-413-6678,
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10
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Munley KM, Wade KL, Pradhan DS. Uncovering the seasonal brain: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a biochemical approach for studying seasonal social behaviors. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105161. [PMID: 35339904 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Many animals show pronounced changes in physiology and behavior across the annual cycle, and these adaptations enable individuals to prioritize investing in the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying reproduction and/or survival based on the time of year. While prior research has offered valuable insight into how seasonal variation in neuroendocrine processes regulates social behavior, the majority of these studies have investigated how a single hormone influences a single behavioral phenotype. Given that hormones are synthesized and metabolized via complex biochemical pathways and often act in concert to control social behavior, these approaches provide a limited view of how hormones regulate seasonal changes in behavior. In this review, we discuss how seasonal influences on hormones, the brain, and social behavior can be studied using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), an analytical chemistry technique that enables researchers to simultaneously quantify the concentrations of multiple hormones and the activities of their synthetic enzymes. First, we examine studies that have investigated seasonal plasticity in brain-behavior interactions, specifically by focusing on how two groups of hormones, sex steroids and nonapeptides, regulate sexual and aggressive behavior. Then, we explain the operations of LC-MS/MS, highlight studies that have used LC-MS/MS to study the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying social behavior, both within and outside of a seasonal context, and discuss potential applications for LC-MS/MS in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology. We propose that this cutting-edge technology will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how the multitude of hormones that comprise complex neuroendocrine networks affect seasonal variation in the brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Munley
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Kristina L Wade
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
| | - Devaleena S Pradhan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
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11
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Social interactions increase activation of vasopressin-responsive neurons in the dorsal raphe. Neuroscience 2022; 495:25-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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12
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Fukumitsu K, Kaneko M, Maruyama T, Yoshihara C, Huang AJ, McHugh TJ, Itohara S, Tanaka M, Kuroda KO. Amylin-Calcitonin receptor signaling in the medial preoptic area mediates affiliative social behaviors in female mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:709. [PMID: 35136064 PMCID: PMC8825811 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28131-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Social animals actively engage in contact with conspecifics and experience stress upon isolation. However, the neural mechanisms coordinating the sensing and seeking of social contacts are unclear. Here we report that amylin-calcitonin receptor (Calcr) signaling in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) mediates affiliative social contacts among adult female mice. Isolation of females from free social interactions first induces active contact-seeking, then depressive-like behavior, concurrent with a loss of Amylin mRNA expression in the MPOA. Reunion with peers induces physical contacts, activates both amylin- and Calcr-expressing neurons, and leads to a recovery of Amylin mRNA expression. Chemogenetic activation of amylin neurons increases and molecular knockdown of either amylin or Calcr attenuates contact-seeking behavior, respectively. Our data provide evidence in support of a previously postulated origin of social affiliation in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kansai Fukumitsu
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Misato Kaneko
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, 180-8602, Japan
| | - Teppo Maruyama
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, 180-8602, Japan
| | - Chihiro Yoshihara
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Arthur J Huang
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Thomas J McHugh
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, 180-8602, Japan
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.
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13
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Soumier A, Habart M, Lio G, Demily C, Sirigu A. Differential fate between oxytocin and vasopressin cells in the developing mouse brain. iScience 2022; 25:103655. [PMID: 35028535 PMCID: PMC8741612 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), two neuropeptides involved in socio-emotional behaviors have been anatomically defined in the adult brain. Yet their spatial organization during postnatal development is not clearly defined. We built a developmental atlas using 3D imaging of cleared immunolabeled tissue over four early postnatal (P) stages, from birth (P0, P3, P7, P14) to young adulthood (≥P56). Our atlas-based mapping revealed that the number of OXT neurons doubles according to unique temporal dynamics in selective hypothalamic regions, namely, the periventricular and paraventricular nuclei, and in a novel location we named the antero-lateral preoptic. In the paraventricular nucleus, single-cell densities and fluorescence analysis demonstrated selective expansion of OXT cells in the antero-ventral division, whereas the postero-dorsal division contained cells present at birth. No changes were observed for AVP neurons. Our findings show the coexisting of innate and plastic OXT/AVP brain circuits probably triggered by environmental adaptation of the social brain. The OXT system continues to mature during early development but not the AVP system OXT hypothalamic nuclei emerge at different rates after birth PVN cells gradually acquire an oxytocinergic phenotype OXT cells are organized into innate and adaptive neural networks
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelie Soumier
- iMIND, Center of Excellence for Autism, le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France
| | - Marie Habart
- iMIND, Center of Excellence for Autism, le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France
| | - Guillaume Lio
- iMIND, Center of Excellence for Autism, le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France
| | - Caroline Demily
- iMIND, Center of Excellence for Autism, le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France
| | - Angela Sirigu
- iMIND, Center of Excellence for Autism, le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France
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14
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Oxytocin Facilitates Allomaternal Behavior under Stress in Laboratory Mice. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0405-21.2022. [PMID: 35017259 PMCID: PMC8868028 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0405-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (Oxt) controls reproductive physiology and various kinds of social behaviors, but the exact contribution of Oxt to different components of parental care still needs to be determined. Here, we illustrate the neuroanatomical relations of the parental nurturing-induced neuronal activation with magnocellular Oxt neurons and fibers in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), the brain region critical for parental and alloparental behaviors. We used genetically-targeted mouse lines for Oxt, Oxt receptor (Oxtr), vasopressin receptor 1a (Avpr1a), vasopressin receptor 1b (Avpr1b), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) to systematically examine the role of Oxt-related signaling in pup-directed behaviors. The Oxtr-Avpr1a-Avpr1b triple knock-out (TKO), and Oxt-Trh-Avpr1a-Avpr1b quadruple KO (QKO) mice were grossly healthy and fertile, except for their complete deficiency in milk ejection and modest deficiency in parturition secondary to maternal loss of the Oxt or Oxtr gene. In our minimal stress conditions, pup-directed behaviors in TKO and QKO mothers and fathers, virgin females and males were essentially indistinguishable from those of their littermates with other genotypes. However, Oxtr KO virgin females did show decreased pup retrieval in the pup-exposure assay performed right after restraint stress. This stress vulnerability in the Oxtr KO was abolished by the additional Avpr1b KO. The general stress sensitivity, as measured by plasma cortisol elevation after restraint stress or by the behavioral performance in the open field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM), were not altered in the Oxtr KO but were reduced in the Avpr1b KO females, indicating that the balance of neurohypophysial hormones affects the outcome of pup-directed behaviors.
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15
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Niu J, Tong J, Blevins JE. Oxytocin as an Anti-obesity Treatment. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:743546. [PMID: 34720864 PMCID: PMC8549820 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.743546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a growing health concern, as it increases risk for heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancer, COVID-19 related hospitalizations and mortality. However, current weight loss therapies are often associated with psychiatric or cardiovascular side effects or poor tolerability that limit their long-term use. The hypothalamic neuropeptide, oxytocin (OT), mediates a wide range of physiologic actions, which include reproductive behavior, formation of prosocial behaviors and control of body weight. We and others have shown that OT circumvents leptin resistance and elicits weight loss in diet-induced obese rodents and non-human primates by reducing both food intake and increasing energy expenditure (EE). Chronic intranasal OT also elicits promising effects on weight loss in obese humans. This review evaluates the potential use of OT as a therapeutic strategy to treat obesity in rodents, non-human primates, and humans, and identifies potential mechanisms that mediate this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- JingJing Niu
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jenny Tong
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - James E Blevins
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
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16
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Effects of oxytocin on responses to nociceptive and non-nociceptive stimulation in the upper central nervous system. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 574:8-13. [PMID: 34419875 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is known as a social bonding hormone, but it also functions as an anxiolytic or analgesic neurotransmitter. When oxytocin regulates pain or anxiousness centrally as a neurotransmitter, it is secreted by neurons and directly projected to targeted regions. Although the function of oxytocin at the spinal level is well studied, its effects at the supraspinal level are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the effect of oxytocin at the supraspinal level in vivo using C57BL/6J (wild-type [WT]), oxytocin-deficient (Oxt-/-), oxytocin receptor-deficient (Oxtr-/-), and oxytocin receptor-Venus (OxtrVenus/+) mice lines. Response thresholds in Oxtr-/- mice in Hargreaves and von-Frey tests were significantly lower than those in WT mice, whereas open field and light/dark tests showed no significant differences. Moreover, response thresholds in Oxt-/- mice were raised to those in WT mice after oxytocin administration. Following the Hargreaves test, we observed the co-localisation of c-fos with Venus or the oxytocin receptor in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), medial amygdala (MeA), and nucleus accumbens (NAc) regions in OxtrVenus/+ mice. Furthermore, in the PAG, MeA, and NAc regions, the co-localisation of oxytocin with c-fos and gamma-aminobutyric acid was much stronger in Oxtr-/- mice than in WT mice. However, following von-Frey test, the same findings were observed only in the MeA and NAc regions. Our results suggest that oxytocin exerts its analgesic effect on painful stimulation via the PAG region and a self-protective effect on unpleasant stimulation via the MeA and NAc regions.
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17
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Immunoelectron Microscopic Characterization of Vasopressin-Producing Neurons in the Hypothalamo-Pituitary Axis of Non-Human Primates by Use of Formaldehyde-Fixed Tissues Stored at -25 °C for Several Years. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179180. [PMID: 34502087 PMCID: PMC8430530 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Translational research often requires the testing of experimental therapies in primates, but research in non-human primates is now stringently controlled by law around the world. Tissues fixed in formaldehyde without glutaraldehyde have been thought to be inappropriate for use in electron microscopic analysis, particularly those of the brain. Here we report the immunoelectron microscopic characterization of arginine vasopressin (AVP)-producing neurons in macaque hypothalamo-pituitary axis tissues fixed by perfusion with 4% formaldehyde and stored at −25 °C for several years (4–6 years). The size difference of dense-cored vesicles between magnocellular and parvocellular AVP neurons was detectable in their cell bodies and perivascular nerve endings located, respectively, in the posterior pituitary and median eminence. Furthermore, glutamate and the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 could be colocalized with AVP in perivascular nerve endings of both the posterior pituitary and the external layer of the median eminence, suggesting that both magnocellular and parvocellular AVP neurons are glutamatergic in primates. Both ultrastructure and immunoreactivity can therefore be sufficiently preserved in macaque brain tissues stored long-term, initially for light microscopy. Taken together, these results suggest that this methodology could be applied to the human post-mortem brain and be very useful in translational research.
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18
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Yoshihara C, Tokita K, Maruyama T, Kaneko M, Tsuneoka Y, Fukumitsu K, Miyazawa E, Shinozuka K, Huang AJ, Nishimori K, McHugh TJ, Tanaka M, Itohara S, Touhara K, Miyamichi K, Kuroda KO. Calcitonin receptor signaling in the medial preoptic area enables risk-taking maternal care. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109204. [PMID: 34077719 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal mammals exhibit heightened motivation to care for offspring, but the underlying neuromolecular mechanisms have yet to be clarified. Here, we report that the calcitonin receptor (Calcr) and its ligand amylin are expressed in distinct neuronal populations in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and are upregulated in mothers. Calcr+ MPOA neurons activated by parental care project to somatomotor and monoaminergic brainstem nuclei. Retrograde monosynaptic tracing reveals that significant modification of afferents to Calcr+ neurons occurs in mothers. Knockdown of either Calcr or amylin gene expression hampers risk-taking maternal care, and specific silencing of Calcr+ MPOA neurons inhibits nurturing behaviors, while pharmacogenetic activation prevents infanticide in virgin males. These data indicate that Calcr+ MPOA neurons are required for both maternal and allomaternal nurturing behaviors and that upregulation of amylin-Calcr signaling in the MPOA at least partially mediates risk-taking maternal care, possibly via modified connectomics of Calcr+ neurons postpartum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yoshihara
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kenichi Tokita
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; The Institute of Natural Sciences, Senshu University, Tokyo 101-8425, Japan
| | - Teppo Maruyama
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Misato Kaneko
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Eri Miyazawa
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Shinozuka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Arthur J Huang
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Internal Inflammation, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Thomas J McHugh
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kazunari Miyamichi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory for Comparative Connectomics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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19
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Kawakami N, Otubo A, Maejima S, Talukder AH, Satoh K, Oti T, Takanami K, Ueda Y, Itoi K, Morris JF, Sakamoto T, Sakamoto H. Variation of pro-vasopressin processing in parvocellular and magnocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus: Evidence from the vasopressin-related glycopeptide copeptin. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:1372-1390. [PMID: 32892351 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is synthesized in parvocellular- and magnocellular neuroendocrine neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Whereas magnocellular AVP neurons project primarily to the posterior pituitary, parvocellular AVP neurons project to the median eminence (ME) and to extrahypothalamic areas. The AVP gene encodes pre-pro-AVP that comprises the signal peptide, AVP, neurophysin (NPII), and a copeptin glycopeptide. In the present study, we used an N-terminal copeptin antiserum to examine copeptin expression in magnocellular and parvocellular neurons in the hypothalamus in the mouse, rat, and macaque monkey. Although magnocellular NPII-expressing neurons exhibited strong N-terminal copeptin immunoreactivity in all three species, a great majority (~90%) of parvocellular neurons that expressed NPII was devoid of copeptin immunoreactivity in the mouse, and in approximately half (~53%) of them in the rat, whereas in monkey hypothalamus, virtually all NPII-immunoreactive parvocellular neurons contained strong copeptin immunoreactivity. Immunoelectron microscopy in the mouse clearly showed copeptin-immunoreactivity co-localized with NPII-immunoreactivity in neurosecretory vesicles in the internal layer of the ME and posterior pituitary, but not in the external layer of the ME. Intracerebroventricular administration of a prohormone convertase inhibitor, hexa-d-arginine amide resulted in a marked reduction of copeptin-immunoreactivity in the NPII-immunoreactive magnocellular PVN neurons in the mouse, suggesting that low protease activity and incomplete processing of pro-AVP could explain the disproportionally low levels of N-terminal copeptin expression in rodent AVP (NPII)-expressing parvocellular neurons. Physiologic and phylogenetic aspects of copeptin expression among neuroendocrine neurons require further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Kawakami
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Akito Otubo
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Sho Maejima
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Ashraf H Talukder
- Laboratory of Information Biology, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Keita Satoh
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan
| | - Takumi Oti
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keiko Takanami
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Mouse Genomics Resources Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Ueda
- Department of Physiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Keiichi Itoi
- Laboratory of Information Biology, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - John F Morris
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tatsuya Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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20
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Møller M. Vasopressin and oxytocin beyond the pituitary in the human brain. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 180:7-24. [PMID: 34225951 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-820107-7.00002-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Vasopressin and oxytocin are primarily synthesized in the magnocellular supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and transported to the posterior pituitary. In the human, an extensive accessory magnocellular neuroendocrine system is present with contact to the posterior pituitary and blood vessels in the hypothalamus itself. Vasopressin and oxytocin are involved in social and behavioral functions. However, only few neocortical areas are targeted by vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic nerve fibers, which mostly project to limbic areas in the forebrain, where also their receptors are located. Vasopressinergic/oxytocinergic perikarya in the forebrain project to the brain stem and spinal cord targeting nuclei and areas involved in autonomic functions. Parvocellular neurons containing vasopressin are located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and synchronize the activity of the pacemaker in this nucleus. From the suprachiasmatic nucleus fibers project to the parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus, where preautonomic neurons project to the intermediolateral nucleus in the thoracic spinal cord, from where the superior cervical ganglion is reached whose noradrenergic fibers terminate in the pineal gland to stimulate melatonin secretion at night. The pineal gland is also innervated by vasopressin- and oxytocin-containing fibers reaching the gland via the "central innervation" in the pineal stalk, which might be involve in an annual regulation of melatonin secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten Møller
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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21
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Coen CW, Bennett NC, Holmes MM, Faulkes CG. Neuropeptidergic and Neuroendocrine Systems Underlying Eusociality and the Concomitant Social Regulation of Reproduction in Naked Mole-Rats: A Comparative Approach. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:59-103. [PMID: 34424513 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The African mole-rat family (Bathyergidae) includes the first mammalian species identified as eusocial: naked mole-rats. Comparative studies of eusocial and solitary mole-rat species have identified differences in neuropeptidergic systems that may underlie the phenomenon of eusociality. These differences are found in the oxytocin, vasopressin and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) systems within the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and lateral septal nucleus. As a corollary of their eusociality, most naked mole-rats remain pre-pubertal throughout life because of the presence of the colony's only reproductive female, the queen. To elucidate the neuroendocrine mechanisms that mediate this social regulation of reproduction, research on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis in naked mole-rats has identified differences between the many individuals that are reproductively suppressed and the few that are reproductively mature: the queen and her male consorts. These differences involve gonadal steroids, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-1 (GnRH-1), kisspeptin, gonadotrophin-inhibitory hormone/RFamide-related peptide-3 (GnIH/RFRP-3) and prolactin. The comparative findings in eusocial and solitary mole-rat species are assessed with reference to a broad range of studies on other mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clive W Coen
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Melissa M Holmes
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Christopher G Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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22
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Lewis EM, Stein-O'Brien GL, Patino AV, Nardou R, Grossman CD, Brown M, Bangamwabo B, Ndiaye N, Giovinazzo D, Dardani I, Jiang C, Goff LA, Dölen G. Parallel Social Information Processing Circuits Are Differentially Impacted in Autism. Neuron 2020; 108:659-675.e6. [PMID: 33113347 PMCID: PMC8033501 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Parallel processing circuits are thought to dramatically expand the network capabilities of the nervous system. Magnocellular and parvocellular oxytocin neurons have been proposed to subserve two parallel streams of social information processing, which allow a single molecule to encode a diverse array of ethologically distinct behaviors. Here we provide the first comprehensive characterization of magnocellular and parvocellular oxytocin neurons in male mice, validated across anatomical, projection target, electrophysiological, and transcriptional criteria. We next use novel multiple feature selection tools in Fmr1-KO mice to provide direct evidence that normal functioning of the parvocellular but not magnocellular oxytocin pathway is required for autism-relevant social reward behavior. Finally, we demonstrate that autism risk genes are enriched in parvocellular compared with magnocellular oxytocin neurons. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence that oxytocin-pathway-specific pathogenic mechanisms account for social impairments across a broad range of autism etiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eastman M Lewis
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Wendy Klag Institute for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Genevieve L Stein-O'Brien
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205; McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Alejandra V Patino
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Wendy Klag Institute for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Romain Nardou
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Wendy Klag Institute for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Cooper D Grossman
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Matthew Brown
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Bidii Bangamwabo
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ndeye Ndiaye
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daniel Giovinazzo
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ian Dardani
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Connie Jiang
- Cell and Molecular Biology Group, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Loyal A Goff
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Gül Dölen
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Wendy Klag Institute for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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23
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Liao PY, Chiu YM, Yu JH, Chen SK. Mapping Central Projection of Oxytocin Neurons in Unmated Mice Using Cre and Alkaline Phosphatase Reporter. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:559402. [PMID: 33192340 PMCID: PMC7604466 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.559402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin, a neuropeptide and peptide hormone, is produced by neurons in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary to control breastfeeding and labor. Recent studies have revealed that oxytocin in the central nervous system is also involved in modulating social interaction. To understand the potential role and innervation pattern of oxytocin neurons before sexual interaction, here we used transgenic mice which have the Cre recombinase under the control of an endogenous oxytocin promoter and Cre-dependent human placental alkaline phosphatase (AP) reporter to label the oxytocin neurons in the naive mouse brain. Since AP is located on the membrane of oxytocin neurons, AP histochemistry staining enabled us to observe the fine axonal terminals and the innervation pattern of oxytocin neurons in the thick serial coronal brain slices. Here we show that the number of AP-labeled cells varies with staining reaction time and ranges from 30% of the oxytocin immune-positive cell count to slightly higher than the oxytocin immune-positive cell count. Using AP staining with extended reaction time, which may not label all oxytocin neurons, we confirmed many innervation targets of oxytocin neurons from the anterior olfactory nucleus, some cortex regions, the limbic system, the hypothalamus, and the hindbrain, while the cell bodies were exclusively located in the hypothalamus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Finally, we observe some individual variance at the olfactory area, isocortex, striatum, paraventricular nucleus of thalamus, locus coeruleus, and Barrington's nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yu Liao
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yan-Min Chiu
- Genome and Systems Biology, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jo-Hsien Yu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Kuo Chen
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Center for Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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24
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Otubo A, Kawakami N, Maejima S, Ueda Y, Morris JF, Sakamoto T, Sakamoto H. Vasopressin gene products are colocalised with corticotrophin-releasing factor within neurosecretory vesicles in the external zone of the median eminence of the Japanese macaque monkey (Macaca fuscata). J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12875. [PMID: 32715549 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Arginine vasopressin (AVP), when released into portal capillaries with corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) from terminals of parvocellular neurones of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVH), facilitates the secretion of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in stressed rodents. The AVP gene encodes a propeptide precursor containing AVP, AVP-associated neurophysin II (NPII), and a glycopeptide copeptin, although it is currently unclear whether copeptin is always cleaved from the neurophysin and whether the NPII and/or copeptin have any functional role in the pituitary. Furthermore, for primates, it is unknown whether CRF, AVP, NPII and copeptin are all colocalised in neurosecretory vesicles in the terminal region of the paraventricular CRF neurone axons. Therefore, we investigated, by fluorescence and immunogold immunocytochemistry, the cellular and subcellular relationships of these peptides in the CRF- and AVP-producing cells in unstressed Japanese macaque monkeys (Macaca fuscata). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed the expression of both CRF and AVP mRNAs in the monkey PVH. As expected, in the magnocellular neurones of the PVH and supraoptic nucleus, essentially no CRF immunoreactivity could be detected in NPII-immunoreactive (AVP-producing) neurones. Immunofluorescence showed that, in the parvocellular part of the PVH, NPII was detectable in a subpopulation (approximately 39%) of the numerous CRF-immunoreactive neuronal perikarya, whereas, in the outer median eminence, NPII was more prominent (approximately 52%) in the CRF varicosities. Triple immunoelectron microscopy in the median eminence demonstrated the presence of both NPII and copeptin immunoreactivity in dense-cored vesicles of CRF-containing axons. The results are consistent with an idea that the AVP propeptide is processed and NPII and copeptin are colocalised in hypothalamic-pituitary CRF axons in the median eminence of a primate. The CRF, AVP and copeptin are all co-packaged in neurosecretory vesicles in monkeys and are thus likely to be co-released into the portal capillary blood to amplify ACTH release from the primate anterior pituitary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akito Otubo
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Natsuko Kawakami
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sho Maejima
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Ueda
- Department of Physiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
| | - John F Morris
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tatsuya Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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25
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Morphofunctional Alterations of the Hypothalamus and Social Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10070435. [PMID: 32650534 PMCID: PMC7408098 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10070435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An accumulating body of evidence indicates a tight relationship between the endocrine system and abnormal social behavior. Two evolutionarily conserved hypothalamic peptides, oxytocin and arginine-vasopressin, because of their extensively documented function in supporting and regulating affiliative and socio-emotional responses, have attracted great interest for their critical implications for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A large number of controlled trials demonstrated that exogenous oxytocin or arginine-vasopressin administration can mitigate social behavior impairment in ASD. Furthermore, there exists long-standing evidence of severe socioemotional dysfunctions after hypothalamic lesions in animals and humans. However, despite the major role of the hypothalamus for the synthesis and release of oxytocin and vasopressin, and the evident hypothalamic implication in affiliative behavior in animals and humans, a rather small number of neuroimaging studies showed an association between this region and socioemotional responses in ASD. This review aims to provide a critical synthesis of evidences linking alterations of the hypothalamus with impaired social cognition and behavior in ASD by integrating results of both anatomical and functional studies in individuals with ASD as well as in healthy carriers of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genetic risk variant for ASD. Current findings, although limited, indicate that morphofunctional anomalies are implicated in the pathophysiology of ASD and call for further investigations aiming to elucidate anatomical and functional properties of hypothalamic nuclei underlying atypical socioemotional behavior in ASD.
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26
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Lawson EA, Olszewski PK, Weller A, Blevins JE. The role of oxytocin in regulation of appetitive behaviour, body weight and glucose homeostasis. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12805. [PMID: 31657509 PMCID: PMC7186135 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Obesity and its associated complications have reached epidemic proportions in the USA and also worldwide, highlighting the need for new and more effective treatments. Although the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is well recognised for its peripheral effects on reproductive behaviour, the release of OXT from somatodendrites and axonal terminals within the central nervous system (CNS) is also implicated in the control of energy balance. In this review, we summarise historical data highlighting the effects of exogenous OXT as a short-term regulator of food intake in a context-specific manner and the receptor populations that may mediate these effects. We also describe what is known about the physiological role of endogenous OXT in the control of energy balance and whether serum and brain levels of OXT relate to obesity on a consistent basis across animal models and humans with obesity. We describe recent data on the effectiveness of chronic CNS administration of OXT to decrease food intake and weight gain or to elicit weight loss in diet-induced obese (DIO) and genetically obese mice and rats. Of clinical importance is the finding that chronic central and peripheral OXT treatments both evoke weight loss in obese animal models with impaired leptin signalling at doses that are not associated with visceral illness, tachyphylaxis or adverse cardiovascular effects. Moreover, these results have been largely recapitulated following chronic s.c. or intranasal treatment in DIO non-human primates (rhesus monkeys) and obese humans, respectively. We also identify plausible mechanisms that contribute to the effects of OXT on body weight and glucose homeostasis in rodents, non-human primates and humans. We conclude by describing the ongoing challenges that remain before OXT-based therapeutics can be used as a long-term strategy to treat obesity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Lawson
- Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pawel K Olszewski
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Aron Weller
- Psychology Department and Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - James E Blevins
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Office of Research and Development Medical Research Service, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
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27
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Comparing vasopressin and oxytocin fiber and receptor density patterns in the social behavior neural network: Implications for cross-system signaling. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100737. [PMID: 30753840 PMCID: PMC7469073 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) regulate social behavior by binding to their canonical receptors, the vasopressin V1a receptor (V1aR) and oxytocin receptor (OTR), respectively. Recent studies suggest that these neuropeptides may also signal via each other's receptors. The extent to which such cross-system signaling occurs likely depends on anatomical overlap between AVP/OXT fibers and V1aR/OTR expression. By comparing AVP/OXT fiber densities with V1aR/OTR binding densities throughout the rat social behavior neural network (SBNN), we propose the potential for cross-system signaling in four regions: the medial amygdala (MeA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), medial preoptic area, and periaqueductal grey. We also discuss possible implications of corresponding sex (higher in males versus females) and age (higher in adults versus juveniles) differences in AVP fiber and OTR binding densities in the MeA and BNSTp. Overall, this review reveals the need to unravel the consequences of potential cross-system signaling between AVP and OXT systems in the SBNN for the regulation of social behavior.
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28
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Cilz NI, Cymerblit-Sabba A, Young WS. Oxytocin and vasopressin in the rodent hippocampus. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12535. [PMID: 30378258 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The role of the hippocampus in social memory and behavior is under intense investigation. Oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are two neuropeptides with many central actions related to social cognition. Oxt- and Avp-expressing fibers are abundant in the hippocampus and receptors for both peptides are seen throughout the different subfields, suggesting that Oxt and Avp modulate hippocampal-dependent processes. In this review, we first focus on the anatomical sources of Oxt and Avp input to the hippocampus and consider the distribution of their corresponding receptors in different hippocampal subfields and neuronal populations. We next discuss the behavioral outcomes related to social memory seen with perturbation of hippocampal Oxt and Avp signaling. Finally, we review Oxt and Avp modulatory mechanisms in the hippocampus that may underlie the behavioral roles for both peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas I Cilz
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adi Cymerblit-Sabba
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - W Scott Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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29
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Two ancient neuropeptides, PACAP and AVP, modulate motivated behavior at synapses in the extrahypothalamic brain: a study in contrast. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:103-122. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2958-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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30
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Feetham CH, O'Brien F, Barrett-Jolley R. Ion Channels in the Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus (PVN); Emerging Diversity and Functional Roles. Front Physiol 2018; 9:760. [PMID: 30034342 PMCID: PMC6043726 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is critical for the regulation of homeostatic function. Although also important for endocrine regulation, it has been referred to as the "autonomic master controller." The emerging consensus is that the PVN is a multifunctional nucleus, with autonomic roles including (but not limited to) coordination of cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, metabolic, circadian and stress responses. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying these multifunctional roles remain poorly understood. Neurones from the PVN project to and can alter the function of sympathetic control regions in the medulla and spinal cord. Dysfunction of sympathetic pre-autonomic neurones (typically hyperactivity) is linked to several diseases including hypertension and heart failure and targeting this region with specific pharmacological or biological agents is a promising area of medical research. However, to facilitate future medical exploitation of the PVN, more detailed models of its neuronal control are required; populated by a greater compliment of constituent ion channels. Whilst the cytoarchitecture, projections and neurotransmitters present in the PVN are reasonably well documented, there have been fewer studies on the expression and interplay of ion channels. In this review we bring together an up to date analysis of PVN ion channel studies and discuss how these channels may interact to control, in particular, the activity of the sympathetic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire H Feetham
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona O'Brien
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Barrett-Jolley
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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31
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The accessory magnocellular neurosecretory system of the rostral human hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 373:487-498. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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32
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Godefroy D, Dominici C, Hardin-Pouzet H, Anouar Y, Melik-Parsadaniantz S, Rostène W, Reaux-Le Goazigo A. Three-dimensional distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase, vasopressin and oxytocin neurones in the transparent postnatal mouse brain. J Neuroendocrinol 2017; 29. [PMID: 29044774 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Over the years, advances in immunohistochemistry techniques have been a critical step in detecting and mapping neuromodulatory substances in the central nervous system. The better quality and specificity of primary antibodies, new staining procedures and the spectacular development of imaging technologies have allowed such progress. Very recently, new methods permitting tissue transparency have been successfully used on brain tissues. In the present study, we combined whole-mount immunostaining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), with the iDISCO+ clearing method, light-sheet microscopy and semi-automated counting of three-dimensionally-labelled neurones to obtain a (3D) distribution of these neuronal populations in a 5-day postnatal (P5) mouse brain. Segmentation procedure and 3D reconstruction allowed us, with high resolution, to map TH staining of the various catecholaminergic cell groups and their ascending and descending fibre pathways. We show that TH pathways are present in the whole P5 mouse brain, similar to that observed in the adult rat brain. We also provide new information on the postnatal distribution of OXT and AVP immunoreactive cells in the mouse hypothalamus, and show that, compared to AVP neurones, OXT neurones in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei are not yet mature in the early postnatal period. 3D semi-automatic quantitative analysis of the PVN reveals that OXT cell bodies are more numerous than AVP neurones, although their immunoreactive soma have a volume half smaller. More AVP nerve fibres compared to OXT were observed in the PVN and the retrochiasmatic area. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrate the utility and the potency of imaging large brain tissues with clearing procedures coupled to novel 3D imaging technologies to study, localise and quantify neurotransmitter substances involved in brain and neuroendocrine functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Godefroy
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS UMRS 968, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
- Normandie Université, INSERM, U1239, DC2N, IRIB, UNIROUEN, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - C Dominici
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS UMRS 968, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - H Hardin-Pouzet
- Neuroscience Paris - Seine Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Y Anouar
- Normandie Université, INSERM, U1239, DC2N, IRIB, UNIROUEN, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - S Melik-Parsadaniantz
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS UMRS 968, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - W Rostène
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS UMRS 968, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - A Reaux-Le Goazigo
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités, INSERM CNRS UMRS 968, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
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33
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Gizowski C, Trudel E, Bourque CW. Central and peripheral roles of vasopressin in the circadian defense of body hydration. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2017; 31:535-546. [PMID: 29224666 DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Vasopressin is a neuropeptide synthesized by specific subsets of neurons within the eye and brain. Studies in rats and mice have shown that vasopressin produced by magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) that project to the neurohypophysis is released into the blood circulation where it serves as an antidiuretic hormone to promote water reabsorption from the kidney. Moreover vasopressin is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator that contributes to time-keeping within the master circadian clock (i.e. the suprachiasmatic nucleus, SCN) and is also used as an output signal by SCN neurons to direct centrally mediated circadian rhythms. In this chapter, we review recent cellular and network level studies in rodents that have provided insight into how circadian rhythms in vasopressin mediate changes in water intake behavior and renal water conservation that protect the body against dehydration during sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Gizowski
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3G1A4, Canada.
| | - Eric Trudel
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3G1A4, Canada.
| | - Charles W Bourque
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3G1A4, Canada.
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Tsuneoka Y, Yoshida S, Takase K, Oda S, Kuroda M, Funato H. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in gonadal steroid receptor-expressing cells in medial preoptic area subregions of the male mouse. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9809. [PMID: 28852050 PMCID: PMC5575033 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10213-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Testosterone is involved in male sexual, parental and aggressive behaviors through the androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) α expressed in the brain. Although several studies have demonstrated that ERα and AR in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) are required for exhibiting sexual and aggressive behaviors of male mice, the molecular characteristics of ERα- and AR-expressing cells in the mouse MPOA are largely unknown. Here, we performed in situ hybridization for neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, combined with immunohistochemistry for ERα and AR to quantitate and characterize gonadal steroid receptor-expressing cells in the MPOA subregions of male mice. Prodynorphin, preproenkephalin (Penk), cocaine- and amphetamine-related transcript, neurotensin, galanin, tachykinin (Tac)1, Tac2 and thyrotropin releasing hormone (Trh) have distinct expression patterns in the MPOA subregions. Gad67-expressing cells were the most dominant neuronal subtype among the ERα- and AR-expressing cells throughout the MPOA. The percentage of ERα- and AR-immunoreactivities varied depending on the neuronal subtype. A substantial proportion of the neurotensin-, galanin-, Tac2- and Penk-expressing cells in the MPOA were positive for ERα and AR, whereas the vast majority of the Trh-expressing cells were negative. These results suggest that testosterone exerts differential effects depending on both the neuronal subtypes and MPOA subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan
| | - Sachine Yoshida
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan
| | - Kenkichi Takase
- Laboratory of Psychology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan
| | - Satoko Oda
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan
| | - Masaru Kuroda
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Funato
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan.
- International Institutes for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
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Cservenák M, Kis V, Keller D, Dimén D, Menyhárt L, Oláh S, Szabó ÉR, Barna J, Renner É, Usdin TB, Dobolyi A. Maternally involved galanin neurons in the preoptic area of the rat. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:781-798. [PMID: 27300187 PMCID: PMC5156581 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1246-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent selective stimulation and ablation of galanin neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus established their critical role in control of maternal behaviors. Here, we identified a group of galanin neurons in the anterior commissural nucleus (ACN), and a distinct group in the medial preoptic area (MPA). Galanin neurons in ACN but not the MPA co-expressed oxytocin. We used immunodetection of phosphorylated STAT5 (pSTAT5), involved in prolactin receptor signal transduction, to evaluate the effects of suckling-induced prolactin release and found that 76 % of galanin cells in ACN, but only 12 % in MPA were prolactin responsive. Nerve terminals containing tuberoinfundibular peptide 39 (TIP39), a neuropeptide that mediates effects of suckling on maternal motivation, were abundant around galanin neurons in both preoptic regions. In the ACN and MPA, 89 and 82 % of galanin neurons received close somatic appositions, with an average of 2.9 and 2.6 per cell, respectively. We observed perisomatic innervation of galanin neurons using correlated light and electron microscopy. The connection was excitatory based on the glutamate content of TIP39 terminals demonstrated by post-embedding immunogold electron microscopy. Injection of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine into the TIP39-expressing posterior intralaminar complex of the thalamus (PIL) demonstrated that preoptic TIP39 fibers originate in the PIL, which is activated by suckling. Thus, galanin neurons in the preoptic area of mother rats are innervated by an excitatory neuronal pathway that conveys suckling-related information. In turn, they can be topographically and neurochemically divided into two distinct cell groups, of which only one is affected by prolactin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Cservenák
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktor Kis
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dávid Keller
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Diána Dimén
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lilla Menyhárt
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Oláh
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva R Szabó
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Barna
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Renner
- Human Brain Tissue Bank, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-SE NAP Human Brain Tissue Bank Microdissection Laboratory, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ted B Usdin
- Section on Fundamental Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Arpád Dobolyi
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Hungary.
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36
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Abstract
The oxytocin/vasopressin ancestor molecule has been regulating reproductive and social behaviors for more than 500 million years. In all mammals, oxytocin is the hormone indispensable for milk-ejection during nursing (maternal milk provision to offspring), a process that is crucial for successful mammalian parental care. In laboratory mice, a remarkable transcriptional activation occurs during parental behavior within the anterior commissural nucleus (AC), the largest magnocellular oxytocin cell population within the medial preoptic area (although the transcriptional activation was limited to non-oxytocinergic neurons in the AC). Furthermore, there are numerous recent reports on oxytocin's involvement in positive social behaviors in animals and humans. Given all those, the essential involvement of oxytocin in maternal/parental behaviors may seem obvious, but basic researchers are still struggling to pin down the exact role oxytocin plays in the regulation of parental behaviors. A major aim of this review is to more clearly define this role. The best conclusion at this moment is that OT can facilitate the onset of parental behavior, or parental behavior under stressful conditions.In this chapter, we will first review the basics of rodent parental behavior. Next, the neuroanatomy of oxytocin systems with respect to parental behavior in laboratory mice will be introduced. Then, the research history on the functional relationship between oxytocin and parental behavior, along with advancements in various techniques, will be reviewed. Finally, some technical considerations in conducting behavioral experiments on parental behavior in rodents will be addressed, with the aim of shedding light on certain pitfalls that should be avoided, so that the progress of research in this field will be facilitated. In this age of populism, researchers should strive to do even more scholarly works with further attention to methodological details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yoshihara
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan
| | - Michael Numan
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan.
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Rodriguez-Santiago M, Nguyen J, Winton LS, Weitekamp CA, Hofmann HA. Arginine Vasotocin Preprohormone Is Expressed in Surprising Regions of the Teleost Forebrain. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:195. [PMID: 28855890 PMCID: PMC5557731 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonapeptides play a fundamental role in the regulation of social behavior, among numerous other functions. In particular, arginine vasopressin and its non-mammalian homolog, arginine vasotocin (AVT), have been implicated in regulating affiliative, reproductive, and aggressive behavior in many vertebrate species. Where these nonapeptides are synthesized in the brain has been studied extensively in most vertebrate lineages. While several hypothalamic and forebrain populations of vasopressinergic neurons have been described in amniotes, the consensus suggests that the expression of AVT in the brain of teleost fish is limited to the hypothalamus, specifically the preoptic area (POA) and the anterior tuberal nucleus (putative homolog of the mammalian ventromedial hypothalamus). However, as most studies in teleosts have focused on the POA, there may be an ascertainment bias. Here, we revisit the distribution of AVT preprohormone mRNA across the dorsal and ventral telencephalon of a highly social African cichlid fish. We first use in situ hybridization to map the distribution of AVT preprohormone mRNA across the telencephalon. We then use quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to assay AVT expression in the dorsomedial telencephalon, the putative homolog of the mammalian basolateral amygdala. We find evidence for AVT preprohormone mRNA in regions previously not associated with the expression of this nonapeptide, including the putative homologs of the mammalian extended amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, and septum. In addition, AVT preprohormone mRNA expression within the basolateral amygdala homolog differs across social contexts, suggesting a possible role in behavioral regulation. We conclude that the surprising presence of AVT preprohormone mRNA within dorsal and medial telencephalic regions warrants a closer examination of possible AVT synthesis locations in teleost fish, and that these may be more similar to what is observed in mammals and birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Rodriguez-Santiago
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Jessica Nguyen
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Lin S. Winton
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Chelsea A. Weitekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Hans A. Hofmann
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Hans A. Hofmann,
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38
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Caldwell HK, Albers HE. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and the Motivational Forces that Drive Social Behaviors. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2016; 27:51-103. [PMID: 26472550 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The motivation to engage in social behaviors is influenced by past experience and internal state, but also depends on the behavior of other animals. Across species, the oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) systems have consistently been linked to the modulation of motivated social behaviors. However, how they interact with other systems, such as the mesolimbic dopamine system, remains understudied. Further, while the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate prosocial/cooperative behaviors have been extensively examined, far less is understood about competitive behaviors, particularly in females. In this chapter, we highlight the specific contributions of Oxt and Avp to several cooperative and competitive behaviors and discuss their relevance to the concept of social motivation across species, including humans. Further, we discuss the implications for neuropsychiatric diseases and suggest future areas of investigation.
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39
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Baribeau DA, Anagnostou E. Oxytocin and vasopressin: linking pituitary neuropeptides and their receptors to social neurocircuits. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:335. [PMID: 26441508 PMCID: PMC4585313 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin and vasopressin are pituitary neuropeptides that have been shown to affect social processes in mammals. There is growing interest in these molecules and their receptors as potential precipitants of, and/or treatments for, social deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. Numerous behavioral-genetic studies suggest that there is an association between these peptides and individual social abilities; however, an explanatory model that links hormonal activity at the receptor level to complex human behavior remains elusive. The following review summarizes the known associations between the oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptide systems and social neurocircuits in the brain. Following a micro- to macro- level trajectory, current literature on the synthesis and secretion of these peptides, and the structure, function and distribution of their respective receptors is first surveyed. Next, current models regarding the mechanism of action of these peptides on microcircuitry and other neurotransmitter systems are discussed. Functional neuroimaging evidence on the acute effects of exogenous administration of these peptides on brain activity is then reviewed. Overall, a model in which the local neuromodulatory effects of pituitary neuropeptides on brainstem and basal forebrain regions strengthen signaling within social neurocircuits proves appealing. However, these findings are derived from animal models; more research is needed to clarify the relevance of these mechanisms to human behavior and treatment of social deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Toronto, ON, Canada
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40
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Otero-García M, Agustín-Pavón C, Lanuza E, Martínez-García F. Distribution of oxytocin and co-localization with arginine vasopressin in the brain of mice. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:3445-73. [PMID: 26388166 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1111-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) play a major role in social behaviours. Mice have become the species of choice for neurobiology of social behaviour due to identification of mouse pheromones and the advantage of genetically modified mice. However, neuroanatomical data on nonapeptidergic systems in mice are fragmentary, especially concerning the central distribution of OT. Therefore, we analyse the immunoreactivity for OT and its neurophysin in the brain of male and female mice (strain CD1). Further, we combine immunofluorescent detection of OT and AVP to locate cells co-expressing both peptides and their putative axonal processes. The results indicate that OT is present in cells of the neurosecretory paraventricular (Pa) and supraoptic hypothalamic nuclei (SON). From the anterior SON, OTergic cells extend into the medial amygdala, where a sparse cell population occupies its ventral anterior and posterior divisions. Co-expression of OT and AVP in these nuclei is rare. Moreover, a remarkable OTergic cell group is found near the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), distributed between the anterodorsal preoptic nucleus and the nucleus of anterior commissure (ADP/AC). This cell group, the rostral edge of the Pa and the periventricular hypothalamus display frequent OT + AVP double labelling, with a general dominance of OT over AVP immunoreactivity. Fibres with similar immunoreactivity profile innervate the accumbens shell and core, central amygdala and portions of the intervening BST. These data, together with data in the literature on rats, suggest that the projections of ADP/AC nonapeptidergic cells onto these brain centres could promote pup-motivated behaviours and inhibit pup avoidance during motherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Otero-García
- Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Carmen Agustín-Pavón
- Lab. of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n, 12071, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Lab. of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n, 12071, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
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41
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Dölen G. Oxytocin: parallel processing in the social brain? J Neuroendocrinol 2015; 27:516-35. [PMID: 25912257 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Revised: 03/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Early studies attempting to disentangle the network complexity of the brain exploited the accessibility of sensory receptive fields to reveal circuits made up of synapses connected both in series and in parallel. More recently, extension of this organisational principle beyond the sensory systems has been made possible by the advent of modern molecular, viral and optogenetic approaches. Here, evidence supporting parallel processing of social behaviours mediated by oxytocin is reviewed. Understanding oxytocinergic signalling from this perspective has significant implications for the design of oxytocin-based therapeutic interventions aimed at disorders such as autism, where disrupted social function is a core clinical feature. Moreover, identification of opportunities for novel technology development will require a better appreciation of the complexity of the circuit-level organisation of the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gül Dölen
- Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Wendy Klag Center for Developmental Disabilities and Autism, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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42
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Coen CW, Kalamatianos T, Oosthuizen MK, Poorun R, Faulkes CG, Bennett NC. Sociality and the telencephalic distribution of corticotrophin-releasing factor, urocortin 3, and binding sites for CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors: A comparative study of eusocial naked mole-rats and solitary Cape mole-rats. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:2344-71. [PMID: 25921928 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Various aspects of social behavior are influenced by the highly conserved corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) family of peptides and receptors in the mammalian telencephalon. This study has mapped and compared the telencephalic distribution of the CRF receptors, CRF1 and CRF2 , and two of their ligands, CRF and urocortin 3, respectively, in African mole-rat species with diametrically opposed social behavior. Naked mole-rats live in large eusocial colonies that are characterized by exceptional levels of social cohesion, tolerance, and cooperation in burrowing, foraging, defense, and alloparental care for the offspring of the single reproductive female. Cape mole-rats are solitary; they tolerate conspecifics only fleetingly during the breeding season. The telencephalic sites at which the level of CRF1 binding in naked mole-rats exceeds that in Cape mole-rats include the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus, hippocampal CA3 subfield, and dentate gyrus; in contrast, the level is greater in Cape mole-rats in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and medial habenular nucleus. For CRF2 binding, the sites with a greater level in naked mole-rats include the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus and dentate gyrus, but the septohippocampal nucleus, lateral septal nuclei, amygdalostriatal transition area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and medial habenular nucleus display a greater level in Cape mole-rats. The results are discussed with reference to neuroanatomical and behavioral studies of various species, including monogamous and promiscuous voles. By analogy with findings in those species, we speculate that the abundance of CRF1 binding in the nucleus accumbens of Cape mole-rats reflects their lack of affiliative behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clive W Coen
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Theodosis Kalamatianos
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Maria K Oosthuizen
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom.,Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Ravi Poorun
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher G Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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43
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Albers HE. Species, sex and individual differences in the vasotocin/vasopressin system: relationship to neurochemical signaling in the social behavior neural network. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 36:49-71. [PMID: 25102443 PMCID: PMC4317378 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Arginine-vasotocin (AVT)/arginine vasopressin (AVP) are members of the AVP/oxytocin (OT) superfamily of peptides that are involved in the regulation of social behavior, social cognition and emotion. Comparative studies have revealed that AVT/AVP and their receptors are found throughout the "social behavior neural network (SBNN)" and display the properties expected from a signaling system that controls social behavior (i.e., species, sex and individual differences and modulation by gonadal hormones and social factors). Neurochemical signaling within the SBNN likely involves a complex combination of synaptic mechanisms that co-release multiple chemical signals (e.g., classical neurotransmitters and AVT/AVP as well as other peptides) and non-synaptic mechanisms (i.e., volume transmission). Crosstalk between AVP/OT peptides and receptors within the SBNN is likely. A better understanding of the functional properties of neurochemical signaling in the SBNN will allow for a more refined examination of the relationships between this peptide system and species, sex and individual differences in sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
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Hashimoto H, Matsuura T, Ueta Y. Fluorescent visualization of oxytocin in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:213. [PMID: 25100939 PMCID: PMC4107947 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is well known for its ability to the milk ejection reflex and uterine contraction. It is also involved in several other behaviors, such as anti-nociception, anxiety, feeding, social recognition, and stress responses. OXT is synthesized in the magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) in the hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and the supraoptic nuclei (SON) that terminate their axons in the posterior pituitary (PP). We generated transgenic rats that express the OXT and fluorescent protein fusion gene in order to visualize OXT in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS). In these transgenic rats, fluorescent proteins were observed in the MNCs and axon terminals in the PP. This transgenic rat is a new tool to study the physiological role of OXT in the HNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirofumi Hashimoto
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Takanori Matsuura
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Yoichi Ueta
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health Kitakyushu, Japan
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Otero-Garcia M, Martin-Sanchez A, Fortes-Marco L, Martínez-Ricós J, Agustin-Pavón C, Lanuza E, Martínez-García F. Extending the socio-sexual brain: arginine-vasopressin immunoreactive circuits in the telencephalon of mice. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 219:1055-81. [PMID: 23625152 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0553-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative analysis of the immunoreactivity for arginine-vasopressin (AVP-ir) in the telencephalon of male (intact and castrated) and female CD1 mice allows us to precisely locate two sexually dimorphic (more abundant in intact than castrated males and females) AVP-ir cell groups in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and the amygdala. Chemoarchitecture (NADPH diaphorase) reveals that the intraamygdaloid AVP-ir cells are located in the intra-amygdaloid BST (BSTIA) rather than the medial amygdala (Me), as previously thought. Then, we have used for the first time tract tracing (combined with AVP immunofluorescence) and fiber-sparing lesions of the BST to analyze the projections of the telencephalic AVP-ir cell groups. The results demonstrate that the posterior BST originates the sexually dimorphic innervation of the lateral septum, the posterodorsal Me and a substance P-negative area in the medioventral striato-pallidum (mvStP).The BSTIA may also contribute to some of these terminal fields. Our material also reveals non-dimorphic AVP-ir processes in two locations of the amygdala. First, the ventral Me shows dendrite-like AVP-ir processes apparently belonging supraoptic neurons, whose possible functions are discussed. Second, the Ce shows sparse, thick AVP-ir axons with high individual variability in density and distribution, whose possible influence on stress coping in relation to the affiliative or agonistic behaviors mediated by the Me are discussed. Finally, we propose that the region of the mvStP showing sexually dimorphic AVP-ir innervation is part of the brain network for socio-sexual behavior, in which it would mediate motivational aspects of chemosensory-guided social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Otero-Garcia
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Depts. Biologia Funcional i Biologia Cel·lular, Fac. Ciències Biològiques, Univ. València, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjassot, Spain
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Rood BD, Stott RT, You S, Smith CJ, Woodbury ME, De Vries GJ. Site of origin of and sex differences in the vasopressin innervation of the mouse (Mus musculus) brain. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:2321-58. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2012] [Revised: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Tsuneoka Y, Maruyama T, Yoshida S, Nishimori K, Kato T, Numan M, Kuroda KO. Functional, anatomical, and neurochemical differentiation of medial preoptic area subregions in relation to maternal behavior in the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:1633-63. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Bader A, Klein B, Breer H, Strotmann J. Connectivity from OR37 expressing olfactory sensory neurons to distinct cell types in the hypothalamus. Front Neural Circuits 2012; 6:84. [PMID: 23162434 PMCID: PMC3499762 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2012.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Accepted: 10/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) which express a member from the OR37 subfamily of odorant receptor (OR) genes are wired to the main olfactory bulb (MOB) in a unique monoglomerular fashion; from these glomeruli an untypical connectivity into higher brain centers exists. In the present study we have investigated by DiI and transsynaptic tracing approaches how the connection pattern from these glomeruli into distinct hypothalamic nuclei is organized. The application of DiI onto the ventral domain of the bulb which harbors the OR37 glomeruli resulted in the labeling of fibers within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SO) of the hypothalamus; some of these fibers were covered with varicose-like structures. No DiI-labeled cell somata were detectable in these nuclei. The data indicate that projection neurons which originate in the OR37 region of the MOB form direct connections into these nuclei. The cells that were labeled by the transsynaptic tracer WGA in these nuclei were further characterized. Their distribution pattern in the paraventricular nucleus was reminiscent of cells which produce distinct neuropeptides. Double labeling experiments confirmed that they contained vasopressin, but not the related neuropeptide oxytocin. Morphological analysis revealed that they comprise of magno- and parvocellular cells. A comparative investigation of the WGA-positive cells in the SO demonstrated that these were vasopressin-positive, as well, whereas oxytocin-producing cells of this nucleus also contained no transsynaptic tracer. Together, the data demonstrates a connectivity from OR37 expressing sensory neurons to distinct hypothalamic neurons with the same neuropeptide content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bader
- Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim Stuttgart, Germany
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Hashimoto H, Uezono Y, Ueta Y. Pathophysiological function of oxytocin secreted by neuropeptides: A mini review. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY 2012; 19:283-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pathophys.2012.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2012] [Revised: 07/04/2012] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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van der Kooij MA, Sandi C. Social memories in rodents: Methods, mechanisms and modulation by stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:1763-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2011] [Revised: 10/20/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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