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Madrid JE, Pranic NM, Chu S, Bergstrom JJD, Singh R, Rabinovich J, Lopez KA, Ophir AG, Tschida KA. Effects of short-term isolation on social behaviors in prairie voles. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0313172. [PMID: 39527561 PMCID: PMC11554233 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 10/20/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Social isolation affects the brain and behavior in a variety of animals, including humans. Studies in traditional laboratory rodents, including mice and rats, have supported the idea that short-term social isolation promotes affiliative social behaviors, while long-term isolation promotes anti-social behaviors, including increased aggression. Whether the effects of isolation on the social behaviors of mice and rats generalize to other rodents remains understudied. In the current study, we characterized the effects of short-term (3-days) social isolation on the social behaviors of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) during same-sex and opposite-sex social interactions. Our experiments revealed that short-term isolation did not affect rates of ultrasonic vocalizations or time spent in non-aggressive social behaviors and huddling during same-sex and opposite-sex interactions. Unexpectedly, although short-term isolation also did not affect time spent in resident-initiated and mutually-initiated aggressive behavior, we found that short-term isolation increased time spent in visitor-initiated aggression during male-male interactions. Our findings highlight the importance of comparative work across species and the consideration of social context to understand the diverse ways in which social isolation can impact social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus E. Madrid
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Nicole M. Pranic
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Samantha Chu
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | | | - Rhea Singh
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Joclin Rabinovich
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Kaycee Arias Lopez
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Alexander G. Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Katherine A. Tschida
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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2
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Berendzen KM, Bales KL, Manoli DS. Attachment across the lifespan: Examining the intersection of pair bonding neurobiology and healthy aging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105339. [PMID: 37536581 PMCID: PMC11073483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that intact social bonds are protective against age-related morbidity, while bond disruption and social isolation increase the risk for multiple age-related diseases. Social attachments, the enduring, selective bonds formed between individuals, are thus essential to human health. Socially monogamous species like the prairie vole (M. ochrogaster) form long-term pair bonds, allowing us to investigate the mechanisms underlying attachment and the poorly understood connection between social bonds and health. In this review, we explore several potential areas of focus emerging from data in humans and other species associating attachment and healthy aging, and evidence from prairie voles that may clarify this link. We examine gaps in our understanding of social cognition and pair bond behavior. Finally, we discuss physiologic pathways related to pair bonding that promote resilience to the processes of aging and age-related disease. Advances in the development of molecular genetic tools in monogamous species will allow us to bridge the mechanistic gaps presented and identify conserved research and therapeutic targets relevant to human health and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Berendzen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
| | - Karen L. Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis; Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis; Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Devanand S. Manoli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
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3
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Lambert CT, Lichter JB, Perry AN, Castillo SA, Keane B, Cushing BS, Solomon NG. Medial amygdala ERα expression influences monogamous behaviour of male prairie voles in the field. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210318. [PMID: 34344176 PMCID: PMC8334872 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Formation of long-term pair-bonds is a complex process, involving multiple neural circuits and is context- and experience-dependent. While laboratory studies using prairie voles have identified the involvement of several neural mechanisms, efforts to translate these findings into predictable field outcomes have been inconsistent at best. Here we test the hypothesis that inhibition of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in the medial amygdala of male prairie voles would significantly increase the expression of social monogamy in the field. Prairie vole populations of equal sex ratio were established in outdoor enclosures with males bred for high levels of ERα expression and low levels of prosocial behaviour associated with social monogamy. Medial amygdala ERα expression was knocked down in half the males per population. Knockdown males displayed a greater degree of social monogamy in five of the eight behavioural indices assessed. This study demonstrates the robust nature of ERα in playing a critical role in the expression of male social monogamy in a field setting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adam N. Perry
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Samuel A. Castillo
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Brian Keane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Miami University—Regionals, Hamilton, OH 45011, USA
| | - Bruce S. Cushing
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
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4
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Valera-Marín G, Young LJ, Camacho F, Paredes RG, Rodríguez VM, Díaz NF, Portillo W. Raised without a father: monoparental care effects over development, sexual behavior, sexual reward, and pair bonding in prairie voles. Behav Brain Res 2021; 408:113264. [PMID: 33775781 PMCID: PMC8647045 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Around 5 % of mammals are socially monogamous and both parents provide care to the pups (biparental, BP). Prairie voles are socially monogamous rodents extensively used to understand the neurobiological basis of pair bond formation and the consequences that the absence of one parent has in the offspring. Pair bonding, characterized by selective affiliation with a sexual partner, is facilitated in prairie voles by mating for 6 h or cohabitation without mating for 24 h. It was previously shown that prairie voles raised by their mother alone (monoparental, MP) show delayed pair bond formation upon reaching adulthood. In this study we evaluated the effects of BP and MP care provided on the offspring's development, ability to detect olfactory cues, preference for sexually relevant odors, display of sexual behavior, as well as the rewarding effects of mating. We also measured dopamine and serotonin concentration in the nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum) and dorsal striatum after cohabitation and mating (CM) to determine if differences in these neurotransmitters could underlie the delay in pair bond formation in MP voles. Our data showed that MP voles received less licking/grooming than BP voles, but no developmental differences between groups were found. No differences were found in the detection and discrimination of olfactory cues or preference for sexually relevant odors, as all groups innately preferred opposite sex odors. No differences were found in the display of sexual behavior. However, CM induced reinforcing properties only in BP males, followed by a preference for their sexual partner in BP but not MP males. BP males showed an increase in dopamine turnover (DOPAC/DA and HVA/DA) in the nucleus accumbens in comparison to MP voles. No differences in dopamine, serotonin or their metabolites were found in the dorsal striatum. Our results indicate that MP voles that received less licking behavior exhibit a delay in pair bond formation possibly because the sexual interaction is not rewarding enough.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Valera-Marín
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd., Atlanta, GA, 30329, United States
| | - Francisco Camacho
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Raúl G Paredes
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico; Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Juriquilla, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Verónica M Rodríguez
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Néstor F Díaz
- Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Montes Urales 800, Col. Lomas Virreyes, Del. Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de México, 11000, Mexico.
| | - Wendy Portillo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico.
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Normann MC, Cox M, Akinbo OI, Watanasriyakul WT, Kovalev D, Ciosek S, Miller T, Grippo AJ. Differential paraventricular nucleus activation and behavioral responses to social isolation in prairie voles following environmental enrichment with and without physical exercise. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:375-390. [PMID: 33947321 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1926320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social stressors produce neurobiological and emotional consequences in social species. Environmental interventions, such as environmental enrichment and exercise, may modulate physiological and behavioral stress responses. The present study investigated the benefits of environmental enrichment and exercise against social stress in the socially monogamous prairie vole. Female prairie voles remained paired with a sibling (control) or were isolated from a sibling for 4 weeks. The isolated groups were assigned to isolated sedentary, isolated with environmental enrichment, or isolated with both enrichment and exercise conditions. Behaviors related to depression, anxiety, and sociality were investigated using the forced swim test (FST), elevated plus maze (EPM), and a social crowding stressor (SCS), respectively. cFos expression was evaluated in stress-related circuitry following the SCS. Both enrichment and enrichment with exercise protected against depression-relevant behaviors in the FST and social behavioral disruptions in the SCS, but only enrichment with exercise protected against anxiety-related behaviors in the EPM and altered cFos expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in isolated prairie voles. Enrichment may improve emotion-related and social behaviors, however physical exercise may be an important component of environmental strategies for protecting against anxiety-related behaviors and reducing neural activation as a function of social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marigny C Normann
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Miranda Cox
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Oreoluwa I Akinbo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | | | - Dmitry Kovalev
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Sarah Ciosek
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Thomas Miller
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Angela J Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
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Evaluation of Antidepressant, Antianxiolytic, and Antioxidant Effects of Echium amoenum L. Extract on Social Isolation Stress of Male Mice. IRANIAN RED CRESCENT MEDICAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.5812/ircmj.97593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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7
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Estradiol Treatment during Perinatal Development Alters Adult Partner Preference, Mating Behavior and Estrogen Receptors α and β in the Female Mandarin Vole ( Microtus mandarinus). Zool Stud 2019. [PMID: 31966342 PMCID: PMC6971534 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2019.58-41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
During development, many aspects of behavior, including partner preferences and sexual conduct, are "organized" by estradiol. This study aimed at analyze these processes in the mandarin vole (Microtus mandarinus), a novel experimental mammal with strong monogamous pair bonds. Female pups were treated daily with an oil vehicle (FC) or β-Estradiol (E2, FT) from prenatal day 14 to postnatal day 10. Male pups were treated daily with the oil vehicle only (MC). Partner preferences, sexual conduct and the expression of estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ) were examined when animals were 3 months old. FT and MC groups showed female-directed partner preferences and masculinized behavior. ERα- immunoreactive neurons (ERα-IRs) in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA) was greater in FT females than MC males, and there was no significant difference in the number of ERα-IRs between FT and FC females. No difference was found for ERα-IRs in the preoptic area (mPOA) or ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) of FT females or MC males, and they were significantly fewer than in FC females. ERβ-immunoreactive neurons (ERβ-IRs) in these four brain regions did not alter the ERβ/ERα ratio in different brain regions during perintal developments. However, the number of ERβ-IRs in FT females and MC males were greater than in FC females. We propose that estradiol treatment during perinatal development is responsible for adult partner preferences and mating behavior.
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8
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Prounis GS, Ophir AG. The Impact of Early Postnatal and Juvenile Social Environments on the Effects of Chronic Intranasal Oxytocin in the Prairie Vole. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:206. [PMID: 31572140 PMCID: PMC6753389 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between social experiences at different stages of development (e.g., with parents as juveniles and peers as subadults) can profoundly shape the expression of social behavior. Rarely are the influences of more than one stage of developmental sensitivity to social environment investigated simultaneously. Furthermore, oxytocin (OT) has an extraordinary effect on a breadth of social behaviors, activationally or organizationally. The use of intranasal OT (IN-OT) has become increasingly common therapeutically in humans and scientifically in non-human experiments, however very little attention has been paid to the potential developmental consequences on social behavior that might result. We investigated the effects of early-life social environments and the impact of chronic IN-OT on social behavior at different stages of development in male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). We raised animals under two conditions: “socially enriched” (in which they were biparentally reared and then weaned into group housing as subadults), or “socially limited” (in which they were reared by a single-mother, and that were then weaned into social isolation). Males raised under each condition were either administered daily doses of IN-OT or a saline control for 21 days from postnatal day (PND) 21–42. During this time, we assessed the prosocial behavior subjects demonstrated by evaluating juvenile affiliation (as subadults), alloparental care (as adults no longer being exposed to IN-OT), and partner preference tests to assess tendencies to form adult monogamous pairbonds. We found that “socially limited” males, exhibited increased social contact in juvenile affiliation tests at PND 35 and 42. These males were also more likely to form a partner preference than “socially enriched” males and formed stronger partner preferences overall. IN-OT did not alter these behavioral effects. We also found that “socially limited” males exhibited a distinct response to chronic IN-OT treatment. When compared to all other treatment groups, “socially limited” males that received IN-OT exhibited a greater amount of huddling behavior in the alloparental care test. This effect was, in part, explained by an absence of attack behavior, found only in these males. This study contributes to understanding the complex interactions between the developmental social environment, oxytocin, and social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- George S Prounis
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Alexander G Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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9
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Ruscio MG, King SB, Kinley-Cooper SK, McKendrick G. Social environment affects central distribution of estrogen receptor-α in Peromyscus californicus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:81-87. [PMID: 30145237 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Social environment has well-established effects on an animal's social behavior and associated neuroendocrine responses. The presence of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in limbic system brain regions is related to the expression of a variety of social, reproductive and aggressive behaviors. We hypothesized that alterations to the social environment, specifically social isolation, would cause changes in ERα throughout the limbic system. The number of ERα immunoreactive (ERα-ir) cells within specific limbic system brain regions was quantified in male and female California mice (Peromyscus californicus), isolated or same sex pair-housed for 4 or 24 days. Peromyscus californicus is a highly social rodent species (monogamous and bi-parental) and therefore, may be particularly sensitive to manipulations of its social environment. Isolated males had a significantly greater number of ERα-ir cells in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and similar patterns within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and medial preoptic area (MPOA). Males housed for 24 days had a significantly greater number of ERα-ir cells in the BST, VMH, MPOA when compared with males housed for 4 days. Females housed for 24 days had significantly greater ERα-ir in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) when compared with females housed for 4 days. No differences were found in the medial amygdala (MeA). These data demonstrate that social environment has region and sex specific effects on ERα-ir cells in this species. These results add to the comparative evidence regarding ERα, demonstrating a consistent role for ERα in species specific responsiveness to changes in the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Ruscio
- Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29412, United States.
| | - S Bradley King
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States
| | - Serena-Kaye Kinley-Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC 29425, United States
| | - Greer McKendrick
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC 29425, United States
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Al-Naimi OAS, Delvalle JR, Carryl SS, Rodriguez NA, Aliou F, Cambi M, Bamshad M. Socio-Ecological Disruptions at Critical Periods During Development Alter Stress Responses and Hippocampal Dendritic Morphology of Prairie Voles: Implications for Social Monogamy. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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11
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Maney DL. Polymorphisms in sex steroid receptors: From gene sequence to behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 47:47-65. [PMID: 28705582 PMCID: PMC6312198 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sex steroid receptors have received much interest as potential mediators of human behaviors and mental disorders. Candidate gene association studies have identified about 50 genetic variants of androgen and estrogen receptors that correlate with human behavioral phenotypes. Because most of these polymorphisms lie outside coding regions, discerning their effect on receptor function is not straightforward. Thus, although discoveries of associations improve our ability to predict risk, they have not greatly advanced our understanding of underlying mechanisms. This article is intended to serve as a starting point for psychologists and other behavioral biologists to consider potential mechanisms. Here, I review associations between polymorphisms in sex steroid receptors and human behavioral phenotypes. I then consider ways in which genetic variation can affect processes such as mRNA transcription, splicing, and stability. Finally, I suggest ways that hypotheses about mechanism can be tested, for example using in vitro assays and/or animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, 36 Eagle Row, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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12
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Grippo AJ. Opinion: "Heart Rate Variability, Health and Well-Being: A Systems Perspective" Research Topic. Front Public Health 2017; 5:246. [PMID: 28993803 PMCID: PMC5622597 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Angela J Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, United States
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