1
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Menon R, Neumann ID. Detection, processing and reinforcement of social cues: regulation by the oxytocin system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:761-777. [PMID: 37891399 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00759-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Many social behaviours are evolutionarily conserved and are essential for the healthy development of an individual. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is crucial for the fine-tuned regulation of social interactions in mammals. The advent and application of state-of-the-art methodological approaches that allow the activity of neuronal circuits involving OXT to be monitored and functionally manipulated in laboratory mammals have deepened our understanding of the roles of OXT in these behaviours. In this Review, we discuss how OXT promotes the sensory detection and evaluation of social cues, the subsequent approach and display of social behaviour, and the rewarding consequences of social interactions in selected reproductive and non-reproductive social behaviours. Social stressors - such as social isolation, exposure to social defeat or social trauma, and partner loss - are often paralleled by maladaptations of the OXT system, and restoring OXT system functioning can reinstate socio-emotional allostasis. Thus, the OXT system acts as a dynamic mediator of appropriate behavioural adaptations to environmental challenges by enhancing and reinforcing social salience and buffering social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Menon
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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2
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Jing P, Shan Q. Exogenous oxytocin microinjection into the nucleus accumbens shell attenuates social dominance in group-housed male mice. Physiol Behav 2023:114253. [PMID: 37270150 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a part of the brain's limbic system, is involved in a variety of brain functions, including reward motivation and social hierarchy. Here, the study investigated the effect of intra-NAc different subregions microinjections of oxytocin on social hierarchy regulation. The hierarchical ranking of group-housed male mice in laboratory settings was determined through the tube test, and a new reliable and robust behavior assay-the mate competition test-was proposed. The mice were randomly divided into two groups, and the bilateral guide cannula was implanted into the shell and core of the NAc, respectively. After social dominance stabilized, changes in social hierarchy were determined through the tube test, warm spot, and mate competition tests. Intra-NAc shell microinjections of oxytocin (0.5 μg/site), but not the core (0.5 μg/site), significantly reduced the social dominance of mice. In addition, oxytocin microinjection into both the shell and core of the NAc significantly increased locomotor ability without affecting anxious behaviors. These findings are tremendously important in understanding the functions of the NAc subregions for social dominance and are more likely to indicate the potential of an oxytocin therapeutic strategy for psychiatric disorders and social impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Jing
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Qiang Shan
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China.
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3
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Taylor JH, Campbell NS, Powell JM, Elliott Albers H, Kelly AM. Distribution of vasopressin 1a and oxytocin receptor binding in the basal forebrain and midbrain of male and female Mongolian gerbils. Neuroscience 2023; 522:33-41. [PMID: 37172688 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The nonapeptide system modulates a diversity of social behaviors, including aggression, parental care, affiliation, sexual behavior, and pair bonding. Such social behaviors are regulated through oxytocin and vasopressin activation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin V1a receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. Nonapeptide receptor distributions have been mapped for several species, however, studies have demonstrated that there is substantial variation across species. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) are an excellent organism for studying family dynamics, social development, pair bonding, and territorial aggression. Although an increasing number of studies are examining the neural mechanisms of social behavior in Mongolian gerbils, nonapeptide receptor distributions have yet to be characterized for this species. Here we conducted receptor autoradiography to map distributions of OXTR and AVPR1A binding throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain of female and male Mongolian gerbils. Further, we assessed whether gonadal sex influenced binding densities in brain regions important for social behavior and reward, however, we observed no effects of sex on OXTR or AVPR1A binding densities. These findings provide mapping distributions of nonapeptide receptors in male and female Mongolian gerbils, laying a foundation for future studies that seek to manipulate the nonapeptide system to examine nonapeptide-mediated social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack H Taylor
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta GA, USA
| | - Noah S Campbell
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta GA, USA
| | | | - H Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta GA, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta GA USA.
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4
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Powell JM, Inoue K, Wallace KJ, Seifert AW, Young LJ, Kelly AM. Distribution of vasopressin 1a and oxytocin receptor protein and mRNA in the basal forebrain and midbrain of the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:413-431. [PMID: 36271259 PMCID: PMC9974677 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02581-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The nonapeptide system modulates numerous social behaviors through oxytocin and vasopressin activation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. OXTRs and AVPR1As are widely distributed throughout the brain and binding densities exhibit substantial variation within and across species. Although OXTR and AVPR1A binding distributions have been mapped for several rodents, this system has yet to be characterized in the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Here we conducted receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization to map distributions of OXTR and AVPR1A binding and Oxtr and Avpr1a mRNA expression throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain of male and female spiny mice. We found that nonapeptide receptor mRNA is diffuse throughout the forebrain and midbrain and does not always align with OXTR and AVPR1A binding. Analyses of sex differences in brain regions involved in social behavior and reward revealed that males exhibit higher OXTR binding densities in the lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and anterior hypothalamus. However, no association with gonadal sex was observed for AVPR1A binding. Hierarchical clustering analysis further revealed that co-expression patterns of OXTR and AVPR1A binding across brain regions involved in social behavior and reward differ between males and females. These findings provide mapping distributions and sex differences in nonapeptide receptors in spiny mice. Spiny mice are an excellent organism for studying grouping behaviors such as cooperation and prosociality, and the nonapeptide receptor mapping here can inform the study of nonapeptide-mediated behavior in a highly social, large group-living rodent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M Powell
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kiyoshi Inoue
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kelly J Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 Morgan Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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5
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Carter CS. Sex, love and oxytocin: Two metaphors and a molecule. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104948. [PMID: 36347382 PMCID: PMC9759207 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Dozens of studies, most conducted in the last four decades, have implicated oxytocin, as well as vasopressin and their receptors, in processes that mediate selective sociality and the consequences of early experience. Oxytocin is critical for the capacity to experience emotional safety and healthy sexuality. Oxytocin also plays a central role in almost every aspect of physical and mental health, including the coordination of sociality and loving relationships with physiological reactions to challenges across the lifespan. Species, including prairie voles, that share with humans the capacity for selective social bonds have been a particularly rich source of insights into the behavioral importance of peptides. The purpose of this historical review is to describe the discovery of a central role for oxytocin in behavioral interactions associated with love, and in the capacity to use sociality to anticipate and cope with challenges across the lifespan - a process that here is called "sociostasis."
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Affiliation(s)
- C Sue Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA; Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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6
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Kashash Y, Smarsh G, Zilkha N, Yovel Y, Kimchi T. Alone, in the dark: The extraordinary neuroethology of the solitary blind mole rat. eLife 2022; 11:78295. [PMID: 35674717 PMCID: PMC9177142 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78295] [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: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
On the social scale, the blind mole rat (BMR; Spalax ehrenbergi) is an extreme. It is exceedingly solitary, territorial, and aggressive. BMRs reside underground, in self-excavated tunnels that they rarely leave. They possess specialized sensory systems for social communication and navigation, which allow them to cope with the harsh environmental conditions underground. This review aims to present the blind mole rat as an ideal, novel neuroethological model for studying aggressive and solitary behaviors. We discuss the BMR's unique behavioral phenotype, particularly in the context of 'anti-social' behaviors, and review the available literature regarding its specialized sensory adaptations to the social and physical habitat. To date, the neurobiology of the blind mole rat remains mostly unknown and holds a promising avenue for scientific discovery. Unraveling the neural basis of the BMR's behavior, in comparison to that of social rodents, can shed important light on the underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders in humans, in which similar behaviors are displayed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Kashash
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Grace Smarsh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Noga Zilkha
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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7
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Lee W, Dwortz MF, Milewski TM, Champagne FA, Curley JP. Social status mediated variation in hypothalamic transcriptional profiles of male mice. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105176. [PMID: 35500322 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals of different social status exhibit variation in aggression, territorial and reproductive behavior as well as activity patterns, feeding, drinking and status signaling. This behavioral and physiological plasticity is coordinated by underlying changes in brain gene transcription. Using Tag-based RNA sequencing (Tag-seq), we explore RNA transcriptomes from the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and ventral hypothalamus (vHYP) of male mice of different social ranks in a dominance hierarchy and detect candidate genes and cellular pathways that underlie status-related plasticity. Within the mPOA, oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are more highly expressed in subdominant mice compared to other ranks, while nitric oxide synthase (Nos1) has lower expression in subdominant mice. Within the vHYP, we find that both orexigenic and anorexigenic genes involved in feeding behavior, including agouti-related peptide (Agrp), neuropeptide-Y (Npy), galanin (Gal), proopiomelanocortin (Pomc), and Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein prepropeptide (Cartpt), are less expressed in dominant animals compared to more subordinate ranks. We suggest that this may represent a reshaping of feeding circuits in dominant compared to subdominant and subordinate animals. Furthermore, we determine several genes that are positively and negatively associated with the level of despotism (aggression) in dominant males. Ultimately, we identify hypothalamic genes controlling feeding and social behaviors that are differentially transcribed across animals of varying social status. These changes in brain transcriptomics likely support phenotypic variation that enable animals to adapt to their current social status.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of In Vivo Pharmacology Services, The Jackson Laboratory, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - M F Dwortz
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - T M Milewski
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - F A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - J P Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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8
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Guoynes CD, Marler CA. Intranasal oxytocin reduces pre-courtship aggression and increases paternal response in California mice (Peromyscus californicus). Physiol Behav 2022; 249:113773. [PMID: 35248556 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide that can facilitate prosocial behavior and decrease social stress and anxiety but can also increase aggression in some contexts. We investigated whether acute pulses of intranasal (IN) OXT influenced social behavior during social challenges that are likely to occur throughout the lifespan of a wild mouse. To test this, we examined the acute effects of IN OXT in the male California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), a monogamous, biparental, and territorial rodent, using a within-subjects longitudinal design. Social challenges included a pre-courtship male-female encounter conducted during the (1) initial aggressive and not the following affiliative phase of courtship, (2) same-sex resident intruder test, and (3) parental care test. Consecutive tests and doses were separated by at least two weeks. Males were treated with intranasal infusions of 0.8 IU/kg OXT or saline controls 5-min before each behavioral test, receiving a total of three treatments of either IN OXT or saline control. We predicted that IN OXT would 1) decrease aggression and increase affiliation during the pre-courtship aggression phase, 2) increase aggression during resident intruder paradigms, and 3) increase paternal care and vocalizations during a paternal care test. As predicted, during pre-courtship aggression with a novel female, IN OXT males displayed less contact aggression than control males, although with no change in affiliative behavior. However, post-pairing, during the resident intruder test, IN OXT males did not differ from control males in contact aggression. During the paternal care test, IN OXT males were quicker to approach their pups than control males but did not differ in vocalizations produced, unlike our previous research demonstrating an effect on vocalizations in females. In summary, during pre-courtship aggression and the paternal care test, IN OXT reduced antisocial behavior; however, during the resident intruder test, IN OXT did not alter antisocial behavior. These data suggest that IN OXT promotes prosocial behavior specifically in social contexts that can lead to affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleigh D Guoynes
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI, 53703 USA.
| | - Catherine A Marler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI, 53703 USA
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9
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Oliveira VEDM, Bakker J. Neuroendocrine regulation of female aggression. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:957114. [PMID: 36034455 PMCID: PMC9399833 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.957114] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classically the neurobiology of aggression has been studied exclusively in males. Thus, females have been considered mildly aggressive except during lactation. Interestingly, recent studies in rodents and humans have revealed that non-lactating females can show exacerbated and pathological aggression similarly to males. This review provides an overview of recent findings on the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating aggressive behavior in females. In particular, the focus will be on novel rodent models of exaggerated aggression established in non-lactating females. Among the neuromodulatory systems influencing female aggression, special attention has been given to sex-steroids and sex-steroid-sensitive neuronal populations (i.e., the core nuclei of the neural pathway of aggression) as well as to the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin which are major players in the regulation of social behaviors.
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10
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Kelly AM, Seifert AW. Distribution of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Neurons in the Basal Forebrain and Midbrain of Spiny Mice (Acomys cahirinus). Neuroscience 2021; 468:16-28. [PMID: 34102266 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The nonapeptides vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) are present in some form in most vertebrates. VP and OT play critical roles in modulating physiology and are well-studied for their influences on a variety of social behaviors, ranging from affiliation to aggression. Their anatomical distributions have been mapped for numerous species across taxa, demonstrating relatively strong evolutionary conservation in distributions throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain. Here we examined the distribution of VP-immunoreactive (-ir) and OT-ir neurons in a gregarious, cooperatively breeding rodent species, the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus), for which nonapeptide mapping does not yet exist. Immunohistochemical techniques revealed VP-ir and OT-ir neuronal populations throughout the hypothalamus and amygdala of males and females that are consistent with those of other rodents. However, a novel population of OT-ir neurons was observed in the median preoptic nucleus of both sexes, located dorsally to the anterior commissure. Furthermore, we found widespread sex differences in OT neuronal populations, with males having significantly more OT-ir neurons than females. However, we observed a sex difference in only one VP cell group - that of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), a VP neuronal population that exhibits a phylogenetically widespread sexual dimorphism. These findings provide mapping distributions of VP and OT neurons in Acomys cahirinus. Spiny mice lend themselves to the study of mammalian cooperation and sociality, and the nonapeptide neuronal mapping presented here can serve as a basic foundation for the study of nonapeptide-mediated behavior in a group of highly social rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 675 Rose Street, Lexington KY 40508, USA
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11
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Hedges VL, Heaton EC, Amaral C, Benedetto LE, Bodie CL, D'Antonio BI, Davila Portillo DR, Lee RH, Levine MT, O'Sullivan EC, Pisch NP, Taveras S, Wild HR, Grieb ZA, Ross AP, Albers HE, Been LE. Estrogen Withdrawal Increases Postpartum Anxiety via Oxytocin Plasticity in the Paraventricular Hypothalamus and Dorsal Raphe Nucleus. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:929-938. [PMID: 33487439 PMCID: PMC8052262 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estrogen increases dramatically during pregnancy but quickly drops below prepregnancy levels at birth and remains suppressed during the postpartum period. Clinical and rodent work suggests that this postpartum drop in estrogen results in an estrogen withdrawal state that is related to changes in affect, mood, and behavior. How estrogen withdrawal affects oxytocin (OT) neurocircuitry has not been examined. METHODS We used a hormone-simulated pseudopregnancy followed by estrogen withdrawal in Syrian hamsters, a first for this species. Ovariectomized females were given daily injections to approximate hormone levels during gestation and then withdrawn from estrogen to simulate postpartum estrogen withdrawal. These hamsters were tested for behavioral assays of anxiety and anhedonia during estrogen withdrawal. Neuroplasticity in OT-producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and its efferent targets was measured. RESULTS Estrogen-withdrawn females had increased anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze and open field tests but did not differ from control females in sucrose preference. Furthermore, estrogen-withdrawn females had more OT-immunoreactive cells and OT messenger RNA in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and an increase in OT receptor density in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Finally, blocking OT receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus during estrogen withdrawal prevented the high-anxiety behavioral phenotype in estrogen-withdrawn females. CONCLUSIONS Estrogen withdrawal induces OT neuroplasticity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and dorsal raphe nucleus to increase anxiety-like behavior during the postpartum period. More broadly, these experiments suggest Syrian hamsters as a novel organism in which to model the effects of postpartum estrogen withdrawal on the brain and anxiety-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie L Hedges
- Physiology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | | | - Claudia Amaral
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Clio L Bodie
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | - Rachel H Lee
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | - M Taylor Levine
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Natalie P Pisch
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | - Shantal Taveras
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | - Hannah R Wild
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania
| | - Zachary A Grieb
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Amy P Ross
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Laura E Been
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.
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12
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Korzan WJ, Summers CH. Evolution of stress responses refine mechanisms of social rank. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100328. [PMID: 33997153 PMCID: PMC8105687 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Social rank functions to facilitate coping responses to socially stressful situations and conditions. The evolution of social status appears to be inseparably connected to the evolution of stress. Stress, aggression, reward, and decision-making neurocircuitries overlap and interact to produce status-linked relationships, which are common among both male and female populations. Behavioral consequences stemming from social status and rank relationships are molded by aggressive interactions, which are inherently stressful. It seems likely that the balance of regulatory elements in pro- and anti-stress neurocircuitries results in rapid but brief stress responses that are advantageous to social dominance. These systems further produce, in coordination with reward and aggression circuitries, rapid adaptive responding during opportunities that arise to acquire food, mates, perch sites, territorial space, shelter and other resources. Rapid acquisition of resources and aggressive postures produces dominant individuals, who temporarily have distinct fitness advantages. For these reasons also, change in social status can occur rapidly. Social subordination results in slower and more chronic neural and endocrine reactions, a suite of unique defensive behaviors, and an increased propensity for anxious and depressive behavior and affect. These two behavioral phenotypes are but distinct ends of a spectrum, however, they may give us insights into the troubling mechanisms underlying the myriad of stress-related disorders to which they appear to be evolutionarily linked.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cliff H Summers
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069 USA.,Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.,Veterans Affairs Research Service, Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, Sioux Falls, SD 57105 USA
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13
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Grieb ZA, Ross AP, McCann KE, Lee S, Welch M, Gomez MG, Norvelle A, Michopoulos V, Huhman KL, Albers HE. Sex-dependent effects of social status on the regulation of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT), and serotonin (5-HT) 1A receptor binding and aggression in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Horm Behav 2021; 127:104878. [PMID: 33148500 PMCID: PMC8889570 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dominance status in hamsters is driven by interactions between arginine-vasopressin V1a, oxytocin (OT), and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors. Activation of V1a and OT receptors in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) increases aggression in males, while decreasing aggression in females. In contrast, activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the AH decreases aggression in males and increases aggression in females. The mechanism underlying these differences is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if dominance status and sex interact to regulate V1a, OT, and 5-HT1A receptor binding. Same-sex hamsters (N = 47) were paired 12 times across six days in five min sessions. Brains from paired and unpaired (non-social control) hamsters were collected immediately after the last interaction and processed for receptor binding using autoradiography. Differences in V1a, OT, and 5-HT1A receptor binding densities were observed in several brain regions as a function of social status and sex. For example, in the AH, there was an interaction between sex and social status, such that V1a binding in subordinate males was lower than in subordinate females and V1a receptor density in dominant males was higher than in dominant females. There was also an interaction in 5-HT1A receptor binding, such that social pairing increased 5-HT1A binding in the AH of males but decreased 5-HT1A binding in females compared with unpaired controls. These results indicate that dominance status and sex play important roles in shaping the binding profiles of key receptor subtypes across the neural circuitry that regulates social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z A Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America.
| | - A P Ross
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - K E McCann
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - S Lee
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - M Welch
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - M G Gomez
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - A Norvelle
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - V Michopoulos
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - K L Huhman
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - H E Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
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14
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Kelly AM, Wilson LC. Aggression: Perspectives from social and systems neuroscience. Horm Behav 2020; 123:104523. [PMID: 31002771 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Exhibiting behavioral plasticity in order to mount appropriate responses to dynamic and novel social environments is crucial to the survival of all animals. Thus, how animals regulate flexibility in the timing, duration, and intensity of specific behaviors is of great interest to biologists. In this review, we discuss how animals rapidly respond to social challenges, with a particular focus on aggression. We utilize a conceptual framework to understand the neural mechanisms of aggression that is grounded in Wingfield and colleagues' Challenge Hypothesis, which has profoundly influenced how scientists think about aggression and the mechanisms that allow animals to exhibit flexible responses to social instability. Because aggressive behavior is rooted in social interactions, we propose that mechanisms modulating prosocial behavior may be intricately tied to mechanisms of aggression. Therefore, in order to better understand how aggressive behavior is mediated, we draw on perspectives from social neuroscience and discuss how social context, species-typical behavioral phenotype, and neural systems commonly studied in relation to prosocial behavior (i.e., neuropeptides) contribute to organizing rapid responses to social challenges. Because complex behaviors are not the result of one mechanism or a single neural system, we consider how multiple neural systems important for prosocial and aggressive behavior (i.e., neuropeptides and neurosteroids) interact in the brain to produce behavior in a rapid, context-appropriate manner. Applying a systems neuroscience perspective and seeking to understand how multiple systems functionally integrate to rapidly modulate behavior holds great promise for expanding our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying social behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Leah C Wilson
- Department of Biology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011, USA
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15
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DeAngelis R, Dodd L, Rhodes J. Nonapeptides mediate trade-offs in parental care strategy. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104717. [PMID: 32061617 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Parental care represents a suite of distinct behaviors performed by parents to maximize fitness. Dynamic shifts in parental care behaviors, such as between nest defense and direct provisioning of the offspring, are required in response to environmental variation. However, the neural mechanisms which mediate such behavioral shifts remain a mystery. The anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris, represents an experimentally valuable model in social neuroscience which is conducive to manipulating the environment while simultaneously measuring parental care. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT) signaling are necessary for males to shift between direct egg care and aggressive nest defense in the presence of intruders, Domino damselfish (Dascyllus trimaculatus). The IT receptor antagonist desGly-NH2-d(CH2)5[D-Tyr2,Thr4]OVT, significantly reduced direct egg care, while at the same time increased levels of aggressive nest defense relative to vehicle. Conversely, blockade of AVT using the antagonist d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP, reduced aggression and tended to increase egg care. Results demonstrate that male anemonefish alter their parental strategy in response to allospecific intruders, and that IT and AVT signaling oppositely regulate parental care displays of aggression versus egg care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross DeAngelis
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America; Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America.
| | - Logan Dodd
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America
| | - Justin Rhodes
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America; Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America
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16
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Ataei Mehr B, Garner SR, Neff BD. Effect of isotocin on shoaling behaviour of the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Anim Cogn 2020; 23:827-831. [PMID: 32303866 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01381-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Pro-social effects of oxytocin and its homologues are well-documented in birds and mammals. However, in fishes, the effect of isotocin, the homologue of oxytocin, on social behaviour is less clear. Studies in fishes have generally shown no effect of isotocin on social behaviours or even an anti-social effect. In our study, we measured association preference for conspecifics in 92 adult guppies (46 females and 46 males), half of which were injected with isotocin and the other half with an isotocin antagonist. We found that individuals injected with isotocin spent 29% more time associating with conspecifics than individuals injected with an isotocin antagonist. The effect of isotocin on association time did not differ between males and females. Our study provides some of the first evidence of a pro-social effects of isotocin in a fish and suggests that in fishes, isotocin may have a homologous role to oxytocin, at least in promoting shoaling behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Ataei Mehr
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Shawn R Garner
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Bryan D Neff
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
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17
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Ross AP, McCann KE, Larkin TE, Song Z, Grieb ZA, Huhman KL, Albers HE. Sex-dependent effects of social isolation on the regulation of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT) and serotonin (5HT) 1a receptor binding and aggression. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104578. [PMID: 31449813 PMCID: PMC6885541 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
It is widely held that social isolation produces higher rates of mortality and morbidity and has deleterious effects on an individual's sociality. Relatedly, it is widely observed that socially isolated adult rodents display significantly higher levels of aggression when placed in a social situation than do their conspecifics living in social groups. In the following study, we investigated the effects of social isolation on several neurochemical signals that play key roles in the regulation of social behavior in adults. More specifically, we examined the effects of social isolation on vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT) and serotonin (5-HT)1a receptor binding within the neural circuit controlling social behavior. Male and female Syrian hamsters were housed individually or with two other hamsters for four weeks and were then tested with a same-sex nonaggressive intruder in a neutral arena for 5 min. Social isolation significantly increased aggression in both males and females and altered receptor binding in several brain regions in a sex-dependent manner. For example, V1a receptor binding was greater in socially isolated males in the anterior hypothalamus than it was in any other group. Taken together, these data provide substantial new support for the proposition that the social environment can have a significant impact on the structural and neurochemical mechanisms regulating social behavior and that the amount and type of social interactions can produce differential effects on the circuit regulating social behavior in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy P Ross
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Katharine E McCann
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Tony E Larkin
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Zhimin Song
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Zachary A Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Kim L Huhman
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, United States of America; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
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18
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Lee W, Hiura LC, Yang E, Broekman KA, Ophir AG, Curley JP. Social status in mouse social hierarchies is associated with variation in oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor densities. Horm Behav 2019; 114:104551. [PMID: 31279703 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin and their receptors have established roles in the regulation of mammalian social behavior including parental care, sex, affiliation and pair-bonding, but less is known regarding their relationship to social dominance and subordination within social hierarchies. We have previously demonstrated that male mice can form stable linear dominance hierarchies with individuals occupying one of three classes of social status: alpha, subdominant, subordinate. Alpha males exhibit high levels of aggression and rarely receive aggression. Subdominant males exhibit aggression towards subordinate males but also receive aggression from more dominant individuals. Subordinate males rarely exhibit aggression and receive aggression from more dominant males. Here, we examined whether variation in social status was associated with levels of oxytocin (OTR) and vasopressin 1a (V1aR) receptor binding in socially relevant brain regions. We found that socially dominant males had significantly higher OTR binding in the nucleus accumbens core than subordinate animals. Alpha males also had higher OTR binding in the anterior olfactory nucleus, posterior part of the cortical amygdala and rostral lateral septum compared to more subordinate individuals. Conversely, alpha males had lower V1aR binding in the rostral lateral septum and lateral preoptic area compared to subordinates. These observed relationships have two potential explanations. Preexisting individual differences in the patterns of OTR and V1aR binding may underlie behavioral differences that promote or inhibit the acquisition of social status. More likely, the differential social environments experienced by dominant and subordinate animals may shift receptor expression, potentially facilitating the expression of adaptive social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Lee
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lisa C Hiura
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eilene Yang
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine A Broekman
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; SUNY Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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19
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Kompier NF, Keysers C, Gazzola V, Lucassen PJ, Krugers HJ. Early Life Adversity and Adult Social Behavior: Focus on Arginine Vasopressin and Oxytocin as Potential Mediators. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:143. [PMID: 31404254 PMCID: PMC6676334 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stress during the early postnatal period (i.e., early life stress, ES) can impact brain physiology and modify individual variability in adult social behavior. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) are two centrally released neuropeptides that are involved in shaping essential social behaviors, like aggression, social recognition, and social motivation. AVP and OXT modulate activity in brain regions important for the establishment of social behavior, and may be particularly sensitive to ES. In this review, we discuss whether ES alters the characteristics of the AVP- and OXT- systems in rodents, and whether these changes are associated with later alterations in aggression, social recognition, and social motivation. We have integrated causal studies indicating that (1) ES affects AVP/OXT, and (2) that changing AVP/OXT in affected regions alters social behavior. Although there is encouraging evidence that ES causes AVP- and OXT-system changes, and that these may mediate social behavior, a comprehensive understanding of the exact nature of AVP- and OXT changes and whether they are causal in establishing these behavioral disturbances needs further investigation. As there are indications that ES alters AVP- and OXT characteristics in humans as well, and that these may interact with adult predisposition to psychopathology with social dysfunction, future rodent studies may lay ground for a better understanding of such changes in humans. Ultimately, this may assist in developing therapeutic strategies to target ES effects on social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nine F. Kompier
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christian Keysers
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Paul J. Lucassen
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Harmen J. Krugers
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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20
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Williamson CM, Lee W, DeCasien AR, Lanham A, Romeo RD, Curley JP. Social hierarchy position in female mice is associated with plasma corticosterone levels and hypothalamic gene expression. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7324. [PMID: 31086272 PMCID: PMC6513839 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43747-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Social hierarchies emerge when animals compete for access to resources such as food, mates or physical space. Wild and laboratory male mice have been shown to develop linear hierarchies, however, less is known regarding whether female mice have sufficient intrasexual competition to establish significant social dominance relationships. In this study, we examined whether groups of outbred CD-1 virgin female mice housed in a large vivaria formed social hierarchies. We show that females use fighting, chasing and mounting behaviors to rapidly establish highly directionally consistent social relationships. Notably, these female hierarchies are less linear, steep and despotic compared to male hierarchies. Female estrus state was not found to have a significant effect on aggressive behavior, though dominant females had elongated estrus cycles (due to increased time in estrus) compared to subordinate females. Plasma estradiol levels were equivalent between dominant and subordinate females. Subordinate females had significantly higher levels of basal corticosterone compared to dominant females. Analyses of gene expression in the ventromedial hypothalamus indicated that subordinate females have elevated ERα, ERβ and OTR mRNA compared to dominant females. This study provides a methodological framework for the study of the neuroendocrine basis of female social aggression and dominance in laboratory mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cait M Williamson
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Won Lee
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Alexandra R DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Alesi Lanham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Russell D Romeo
- Department of Psychology, Barnard College, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA.
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21
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Oliveira VEDM, Neumann ID, de Jong TR. Post-weaning social isolation exacerbates aggression in both sexes and affects the vasopressin and oxytocin system in a sex-specific manner. Neuropharmacology 2019; 156:107504. [PMID: 30664846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Post-weaning social isolation (PWSI) is known to induce exaggerated and abnormal aggression in male rats. Here we aimed to assess the effects of PWSI on aggressiveness and social behavior in both male and female rats. Furthermore, we evaluated how PWSI affects the central oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) systems in both sexes. Wistar rats were isolated (IS) or group housed (GH) in same-sex groups immediately after weaning. After seven weeks, rats underwent an intruder test to assess aggression. In one group, brains were immediately dissected afterwards for in situ hybridization and receptor autoradiography. The other group underwent additional anxiety-like and social behavior tests. PWSI induced increased (abnormal) aggression and impaired social memory in both sexes. Especially IS females exhibited abnormal aggression towards juveniles. Furthermore, PWSI increased OXT mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and decreased OXTR binding in the anterior portion of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), independent of the sex. V1a receptor binding was decreased in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and dentate gyrus (DG) in IS rats, regardless of sex. However, V1a receptor binding in the anterior portion of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTa) was decreased in IS females but increased in IS males. Taken together, our data support PWSI as a reliable model to exacerbate aggression not only in male but also in female rats. In addition, OXT receptors in the NAcca and V1a receptors in the LH, DG, and BNSTa may play a role in the link between PWSI and aggression. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Current status of the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany
| | - Trynke R de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany; Lifelines Biobank Noord-Nederland B.V. Groningen, Netherlands
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22
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Tripp JA, Feng NY, Bass AH. Behavioural tactic predicts preoptic-hypothalamic gene expression more strongly than developmental morph in fish with alternative reproductive tactics. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2742. [PMID: 29343607 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive success relies on the coordination of social behaviours, such as territory defence, courtship and mating. Species with extreme variation in reproductive tactics are useful models for identifying the neural mechanisms underlying social behaviour plasticity. The plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus) is a teleost fish with two male reproductive morphs that follow widely divergent developmental trajectories and display alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). Type I males defend territories, court females and provide paternal care, but will resort to cuckoldry if they cannot maintain a territory. Type II males reproduce only through cuckoldry. We sought to disentangle gene expression patterns underlying behavioural tactic, in this case ARTs, from those solely reflective of developmental morph. Using RNA-sequencing, we investigated differential transcript expression in the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH) of courting type I males, cuckolding type I males and cuckolding type II males. Unexpectedly, POA-AH differential expression was more strongly coupled to behavioural tactic than morph. This included a suite of transcripts implicated in hormonal regulation of vertebrate social behaviour. Our results reveal that divergent expression patterns in a conserved neuroendocrine centre known to regulate social-reproductive behaviours across vertebrate lineages may be uncoupled from developmental history to enable plasticity in the performance of reproductive tactics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel A Tripp
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7901, USA
| | - Ni Y Feng
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7901, USA
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7901, USA
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23
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Been LE, Gibbons AB, Meisel RL. Towards a neurobiology of female aggression. Neuropharmacology 2018; 156:107451. [PMID: 30502376 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Although many people think of aggression as a negative or undesirable emotion, it is a normal part of many species' repertoire of social behaviors. Purposeful and controlled aggression can be adaptive in that it warns other individuals of perceived breaches in social contracts with the goal of dispersing conflict before it escalates into violence. Aggression becomes maladaptive, however, when it escalates inappropriately or impulsively into violence. Despite ample data demonstrating that impulsive aggression and violence occurs in both men and women, aggression has historically been considered a uniquely masculine trait. As a result, the vast majority of studies attempting to model social aggression in animals, particularly those aimed at understanding the neural underpinnings of aggression, have been conducted in male rodents. In this review, we summarize the state of the literature on the neurobiology of social aggression in female rodents, including social context, hormonal regulation and neural sites of aggression regulation. Our goal is to put historical research in the context of new research, emphasizing studies using ecologically valid methods and modern sophisticated techniques. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Current status of the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Been
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA.
| | - Alison B Gibbons
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA
| | - Robert L Meisel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
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24
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Borland JM, Grantham KN, Aiani LM, Frantz KJ, Albers HE. Role of oxytocin in the ventral tegmental area in social reinforcement. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 95:128-137. [PMID: 29852406 PMCID: PMC6109598 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The rewarding properties of social interactions play a critical role in the development and maintenance of social relationships, and deficits in social reward are associated with various psychiatric disorders. In the present study, we used a novel Operant Social Preference (OSP) task to investigate the reinforcing properties of social interactions under conditions of high or low reward value, and high or low behavioral effort in male Syrian hamsters. Further, we investigated the role of oxytocin (OT) in a key structure of the mesolimbic reward system, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), in mediating the reinforcing properties of social interaction. Adult male hamsters were placed in a three-chambered apparatus, and allowed access to either a social chamber containing an unrestrained conspecific or a non-social chamber, by pushing through a one-way entry, vertical-swing door. Increasing the duration of social interaction (reward value) decreased the frequency of entering the social interaction chambers, whereas decreasing the duration of social interaction conversely increased the frequency of entries. Moreover, increasing behavioral effort required to access social interaction decreased the frequency of entries, especially under conditions when the duration of social interaction was only 5 s. OT injected into the VTA decreased the frequency of entering social interaction chambers in a manner similar to that observed when duration was increased, whereas injection of an OT receptor antagonist in the VTA increased the frequency of seeking social interaction. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that activation of OT receptors in the VTA are critical for the reinforcing properties of social interactions. Furthermore, social interactions may exhibit duration and cost dependent reinforcing effects on behavior similar to those observed with food and drugs of abuse.
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25
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Jurek B, Neumann ID. The Oxytocin Receptor: From Intracellular Signaling to Behavior. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1805-1908. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00031.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly 25,000 publications since 1930 (see FIGURE 1 , as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for OXT and its receptor (OXTR) in reproduction, and social and emotional behaviors in animal and human studies focusing on mental and physical health and disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of OXT expression and release, expression and binding of the OXTR in brain and periphery, OXTR-coupled signaling cascades, and their involvement in behavioral outcomes to assemble a comprehensive picture of the central and peripheral OXT system. Traditionally known for its role in milk let-down and uterine contraction during labor, OXT also has implications in physiological, and also behavioral, aspects of reproduction, such as sexual and maternal behaviors and pair bonding, but also anxiety, trust, sociability, food intake, or even drug abuse. The many facets of OXT are, on a molecular basis, brought about by a single receptor. The OXTR, a 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor capable of binding to either Gαior Gαqproteins, activates a set of signaling cascades, such as the MAPK, PKC, PLC, or CaMK pathways, which converge on transcription factors like CREB or MEF-2. The cellular response to OXT includes regulation of neurite outgrowth, cellular viability, and increased survival. OXTergic projections in the brain represent anxiety and stress-regulating circuits connecting the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or the medial prefrontal cortex. Which OXT-induced patterns finally alter the behavior of an animal or a human being is still poorly understood, and studying those OXTR-coupled signaling cascades is one initial step toward a better understanding of the molecular background of those behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jurek
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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26
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Genetic variants in oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and childhood physical abuse collaborate to modify the risk of aggression in chinese adolescents. J Affect Disord 2018; 229:105-110. [PMID: 29306689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that genetic and environmental factors may influence aggression susceptibility. However, the etiology of aggressive behavior remains unknown. Compared to some extensively studied candidate genes of aggression, very little is known about the OXTR gene. The objective of this study was to determine whether OXTR genetic variants were associated with aggression risk and whether these polymorphisms showed interactive effects with childhood maltreatment on aggression in Chinese adolescents. METHODS A total of 996 participants including 488 cases and 488 controls were selected in our study. Aggression, childhood maltreatment were measured by self-reported questionnaire. Buccal cells were collected. Genotyping was performed using SNPscan. Logistic regressions were used to estimate both main effects of OXTR polymorphisms and the interactive effects with childhood maltreatment on aggressive behavior. RESULTS Participants who carried the rs237885 TT genotypes in OXTR had a higher risk of aggression compared to those who carried GG or GT genotypes under the recessive model (OR=1.40, 95% CI, 1.04-1.89) after controlling for potential confounders. In addition, we also found that the polymorphism had a synergic additive interaction with childhood physical abuse on the aggression risk. LIMITATIONS The subjects in the present study were only males, thus our findings and conclusions could not be generalized to females. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides evidence that OXTR genetic variants may contribute to aggression susceptibility. Moreover, this is the first study reporting significant interactive effects of OXTR polymorphism and childhood physical abuse on aggressive behavior in Chinese adolescents.
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Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has a solid reputation as a facilitator of social interactions such as parental and pair bonding, trust, and empathy. The many results supporting a pro-social role of OT have generated the hypothesis that impairments in the endogenous OT system may lead to antisocial behavior, most notably social withdrawal or pathological aggression. If this is indeed the case, administration of exogenous OT could be the "serenic" treatment that psychiatrists have for decades been searching for.In the present review, we list and discuss the evidence for an endogenous "hypo-oxytocinergic state" underlying aggressive and antisocial behavior, derived from both animal and human studies. We furthermore examine the reported effects of synthetic OT administration on aggression in rodents and humans.Although the scientific findings listed in this review support, in broad lines, the link between a down-regulated or impaired OT system activity and increased aggression, the anti-aggressive effects of synthetic OT are less straightforward and require further research. The rather complex picture that emerges adds to the ongoing debate questioning the unidirectional pro-social role of OT, as well as the strength of the effects of intranasal OT administration in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trynke R de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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Yao S, Bergan J, Lanjuin A, Dulac C. Oxytocin signaling in the medial amygdala is required for sex discrimination of social cues. eLife 2017; 6:31373. [PMID: 29231812 PMCID: PMC5768418 DOI: 10.7554/elife.31373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural control of social behaviors in rodents requires the encoding of pheromonal cues by the vomeronasal system. Here we show that the typical preference of male mice for females is eliminated in mutants lacking oxytocin, a neuropeptide modulating social behaviors in many species. Ablation of the oxytocin receptor in aromatase-expressing neurons of the medial amygdala (MeA) fully recapitulates the elimination of female preference in males. Further, single-unit recording in the MeA uncovered significant changes in the sensory representation of conspecific cues in the absence of oxytocin signaling. Finally, acute manipulation of oxytocin signaling in adults is sufficient to alter social interaction preferences in males as well as responses of MeA neurons to chemosensory cues. These results uncover the critical role of oxytocin signaling in a molecularly defined neuronal population in order to modulate the behavioral and physiological responses of male mice to females on a moment-to-moment basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenqin Yao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Joseph Bergan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Anne Lanjuin
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
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Du P, He Z, Cai Z, Hao X, Dong N, Yuan W, Hou W, Yang J, Jia R, Tai F. Chronic central oxytocin infusion impairs sociability in mandarin voles. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2017; 161:38-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Abstract
For many, the terms oxytocin and vasopressin immediately evoke images of animals interacting with one another, as both of these neuropeptides have been implicated as being part of the neurochemical "glue" that socially binds animals. However, social environments and social interactions are complex and include behaviors that bring animals together as well as behaviors that keep animals apart. It is at the intersection of social context, social experience, and an individual's sex that oxytocin and vasopressin act to modulate social behavior and social cognition. In this review, this complexity will be explored across mammalian species, with a focus on social memory, cooperative behaviors, and competitive behaviors. Implications for humans as well as future directions will also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather K Caldwell
- 1 Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology and Behavior, Department of Biological Sciences and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
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31
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DiBenedictis BT, Nussbaum ER, Cheung HK, Veenema AH. Quantitative mapping reveals age and sex differences in vasopressin, but not oxytocin, immunoreactivity in the rat social behavior neural network. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2549-2570. [PMID: 28340511 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptides vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) have been implicated in the regulation of numerous social behaviors in adult and juvenile animals. AVP and OT signaling predominantly occur within a circuit of interconnected brain regions known collectively as the "social behavior neural network" (SBNN). Importantly, AVP and OT signaling within the SBNN has been shown to differentially regulate diverse social behaviors, depending on the age and/or sex of the animal. We hypothesized that variation in the display of these behaviors is due in part to age and sex differences in AVP and OT synthesis within the SBNN. However, a thorough characterization of AVP and OT-immunoreactive (ir) fibers and cell bodies across age and sex within the SBNN has been lacking in rats. We therefore quantified AVP- and OT-ir fibers and cell bodies in 22 subregions of the forebrain SBNN in juvenile and adult, male and female rats. We found numerous age (16 subregions) and sex (10 subregions) differences in AVP-ir fiber fractional areas, and AVP-ir cell body numbers, which were mainly observed in the medial amygdala/bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to lateral septum circuit. In contrast to AVP, we observed no age or sex differences in OT-ir fiber fractional areas or cell bodies in any of the 22 subregions of the forebrain SBNN. Thus, unlike the static pattern observed for OT, AVP innervation of the forebrain SBNN appears to undergo developmental changes, and is highly sexually dimorphic, which likely has significant functional consequences for the regulation of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett T DiBenedictis
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth R Nussbaum
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
| | - Harry K Cheung
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
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Tissier ML, Handrich Y, Dallongeville O, Robin JP, Habold C. Diets derived from maize monoculture cause maternal infanticides in the endangered European hamster due to a vitamin B3 deficiency. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20162168. [PMID: 28100816 PMCID: PMC5310035 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
From 1735 to 1940, maize-based diets led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people from pellagra, a complex disease caused by tryptophan and vitamin B3 deficiencies. The current cereal monoculture trend restricts farmland animals to similarly monotonous diets. However, few studies have distinguished the effects of crop nutritional properties on the reproduction of these species from those of other detrimental factors such as pesticide toxicity or agricultural ploughing. This study shows that maize-based diets cause high rates of maternal infanticides in the European hamster, a farmland species on the verge of extinction in Western Europe. Vitamin B3 supplementation is shown to effectively restore reproductive success in maize-fed females. This study pinpoints how nutritional deficiencies caused by maize monoculture could affect farmland animal reproduction and hence their fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde L Tissier
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Yves Handrich
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Jean-Patrice Robin
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Caroline Habold
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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33
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Terranova JI, Ferris CF, Albers HE. Sex Differences in the Regulation of Offensive Aggression and Dominance by Arginine-Vasopressin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:308. [PMID: 29184535 PMCID: PMC5694440 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) plays a critical role in the regulation of offensive aggression and social status in mammals. AVP is found in an extensive neural network in the brain. Here, we discuss the role of AVP in the regulation of aggression in the limbic system with an emphasis on the critical role of hypothalamic AVP in the control of aggression. In males, activation of AVP V1a receptors (V1aRs) in the hypothalamus stimulates offensive aggression, while in females activation of V1aRs inhibits aggression. Serotonin (5-HT) also acts within the hypothalamus to modulate the effects of AVP on aggression in a sex-dependent manner. Activation of 5-HT1a receptors (5-HT1aRs) inhibits aggression in males and stimulates aggression in females. There are also striking sex differences in the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of dominance. In males, the acquisition of dominance is associated with the activation of AVP-containing neurons in the hypothalamus. By contrast, in females, the acquisition of dominance is associated with the activation of 5-HT-containing neurons in the dorsal raphe. AVP and 5-HT also play critical roles in the regulation of a form of social communication that is important for the maintenance of dominance relationships. In both male and female hamsters, AVP acts via V1aRs in the hypothalamus, as well as in other limbic structures, to communicate social status through the stimulation of a form of scent marking called flank marking. 5-HT acts on 5-HT1aRs as well as other 5-HT receptors within the hypothalamus to inhibit flank marking induced by AVP in both males and females. Interestingly, while AVP and 5-HT influence the expression of aggression in opposite ways in males and females, there are no sex differences in the effects of AVP and 5-HT on the expression of social communication. Given the profound sex differences in the incidence of many psychiatric disorders and the increasing evidence for a relationship between aggressiveness/dominance and the susceptibility to these disorders, understanding the neural regulation of aggression and social status will have significant import for translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph I. Terranova
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Craig F. Ferris
- Department of Psychology, Center for Translational NeuroImaging, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - H. Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Elliott Albers,
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34
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Song Z, Borland JM, Larkin TE, O’Malley M, Albers HE. Activation of oxytocin receptors, but not arginine-vasopressin V1a receptors, in the ventral tegmental area of male Syrian hamsters is essential for the reward-like properties of social interactions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 74:164-172. [PMID: 27632574 PMCID: PMC6417503 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social reward plays a fundamental role in shaping human and animal behavior. The rewarding nature of many forms of social behavior including sexual behavior, parental behavior, and social play has been revealed using well-established procedures such as the conditioned place preference test. Many motivated social behaviors are regulated by the nonapeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) through their actions in multiple brain structures. Interestingly, there are few data on whether OT or AVP might contribute to the rewarding properties of social interaction by their actions within brain structures that play a key role in reward mechanisms such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of OT and AVP in the VTA in regulating the reward-like properties of social interactions. Social interactions between two male hamsters reduced a spontaneous place avoidance in hamsters injected with saline control. Interestingly, however, OT and AVP injected into the VTA induced a significant two-fold reduction in place avoidance for the social interaction chamber when compared to control injections of vehicle. Finally, because OT and AVP can act on each other's receptors to influence social behavior, we also injected highly selective OTR and V1aR agonists and antagonists to determine whether OT or AVP V1a receptors were responsible for mediating the effects of these neuropeptides on social reward. Our results not only demonstrated that OT and AVP activate OTRs and not V1aRs to mediate social reward, they also demonstrated that the activation of OT receptors in the VTA is essential for the expression of the rewarding properties of social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - H. Elliott Albers
- Corresponding author at: Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5030, Atlanta, GA 30302-5030, USA. (H.E. Albers)
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35
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Teles MC, Gozdowska M, Kalamarz-Kubiak H, Kulczykowska E, Oliveira RF. Agonistic interactions elicit rapid changes in brain nonapeptide levels in zebrafish. Horm Behav 2016; 84:57-63. [PMID: 27235811 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The teleost fish nonapeptides, arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT), have been implicated in the regulation of social behavior. These peptides are expected to be involved in acute and transient changes in social context, in order to be efficient in modulating the expression of social behavior according to changes in the social environment. Here we tested the hypothesis that short-term social interactions are related to changes in the level of both nonapeptides across different brain regions. For this purpose we exposed male zebrafish to two types of social interactions: (1) real opponent interactions, from which a Winner and a Loser emerged; and (2) mirror-elicited interactions, that produced individuals that did not experience a change in social status despite expressing similar levels of aggressive behavior to those of participants in real-opponent fights. Non-interacting individuals were used as a reference group. Each social phenotype (i.e. Winners, Losers, Mirror-fighters) presented a specific brain profile of nonapeptides when compared to the reference group. Moreover, the comparison between the different social phenotypes allowed to address the specific aspects of the interaction (e.g. assessment of opponent aggressive behavior vs. self-assessment of expressed aggressive behavior) that are linked with neuropeptide responses. Overall, agonistic interactions seem to be more associated with the changes in brain AVT than IT, which highlights the preferential role of AVT in the regulation of aggressive behavior already described for other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda C Teles
- ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal; Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Av. Brasília, Doca de Pedrouços, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Magdalena Gozdowska
- Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55 st, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Hanna Kalamarz-Kubiak
- Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55 st, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Ewa Kulczykowska
- Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstanców Warszawy 55 st, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal; Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Av. Brasília, Doca de Pedrouços, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal.
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36
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LoParo D, Johansson A, Walum H, Westberg L, Santtila P, Waldman I. Rigorous tests of gene-environment interactions in a lab study of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), alcohol exposure, and aggression. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171:589-602. [PMID: 26250573 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Naturalistic studies of gene-environment interactions (G X E) have been plagued by several limitations, including difficulty isolating specific environmental risk factors from other correlated aspects of the environment, gene-environment correlation (rGE ), and the use of a single genetic variant to represent the influence of a gene. We present results from 235 Finnish young men in two lab studies of aggression and alcohol challenge that attempt to redress these limitations of the extant G X E literature. Specifically, we use a latent variable modeling approach in an attempt to more fully account for genetic variation across the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and to robustly test its main effects on aggression and its interaction with alcohol exposure. We also modeled aggression as a latent variable comprising various indices, including the average and maximum levels of aggression, the earliest trial on which aggression was expressed, and the proportion of trials on which the minimum and maximum levels of aggression were expressed. The best fitting model for the genetic variation across OXTR included six factors derived from an exploratory factor analysis, roughly corresponding to six haplotype blocks. Aggression levels were higher on trials in which participants were administered alcohol, won, or were provoked. There was a significant main effect of OXTR on aggression across studies after controlling for covariates. The interaction of OXTR and alcohol was also significant across studies, such that OXTR had stronger effects on aggression in the alcohol administration condition. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon LoParo
- Psychology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ada Johansson
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Walum
- Psychology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lars Westberg
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Pekka Santtila
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Irwin Waldman
- Psychology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Antisocial behavior and polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene: findings in two independent samples. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:983-8. [PMID: 26390829 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The quantitative genetic contribution to antisocial behavior is well established, but few, if any, genetic variants are established as risk factors. Emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may modulate interpersonal aggression. We here investigated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OXT receptor gene (OXTR) are associated with the expression of antisocial behavior. A discovery sample, including both sexes, was drawn from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS; n=2372), and a sample from the Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development (TCHAD; n=1232) was used for replication. Eight SNPs in OXTR, selected on previous associations with social and antisocial behavior, were genotyped in the participants of CATSS. Significant polymorphisms were subsequently genotyped in TCHAD for replication. Participants completed self-assessment questionnaires-Life History of Aggression (LHA; available only in CATSS), and Self-Reported Delinquency (SRD; available in both samples)-designed to capture antisocial behavior as continuous traits. In the discovery sample, the rs7632287 AA genotype was associated with higher frequency of antisocial behavior in boys, and this was then replicated in the second sample. In particular, overt aggression (directly targeting another individual) was strongly associated with this genotype in boys (P=6.2 × 10(-7) in the discovery sample). Meta-analysis of the results for antisocial behavior from both samples yielded P=2.5 × 10(-5). Furthermore, an association between rs4564970 and LHA (P=0.00013) survived correction in the discovery sample, but there was no association with the SRD in the replication sample. We conclude that the rs7632287 and rs4564970 polymorphisms in OXTR may independently influence antisocial behavior in adolescent boys. Further replication of our results will be crucial to understanding how aberrant social behavior arises, and would support the OXT receptor as one potential target in the treatment of aggressive antisocial behavior.
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38
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Ne'eman R, Perach-Barzilay N, Fischer-Shofty M, Atias A, Shamay-Tsoory SG. Intranasal administration of oxytocin increases human aggressive behavior. Horm Behav 2016; 80:125-131. [PMID: 26862988 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Considering its role in prosocial behaviors, oxytocin (OT) has been suggested to diminish levels of aggression. Nevertheless, recent findings indicate that oxytocin may have a broader influence on increasing the salience of social stimuli and may therefore, under certain circumstances, increase antisocial behaviors such as aggression. This controversy led to the following speculations: If indeed oxytocin promotes primarily prosocial behavior, administration of OT is expected to diminish levels of aggression. However, if oxytocin mainly acts to increase the salience of social stimuli, it is expected to elevate levels of aggression following provocation. In order to test this assumption we used the Social Orientation Paradigm (SOP), a monetary game played against a fictitious partner that allows measuring three types of responses in the context of provocation: an aggressive response - reducing a point from the fictitious partner, an individualistic response - adding a point to oneself, and a collaborative response - adding half a point to the partner and half a point to oneself. In the current double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study design, 45 participants completed the SOP task following the administration of oxytocin or placebo. The results indicated that among subjects naïve to the procedure oxytocin increased aggressive responses in comparison with placebo. These results support the saliency hypothesis of oxytocin and suggest that oxytocin plays a complex role in the modulation of human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Ne'eman
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Israel.
| | | | | | - A Atias
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Israel
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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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Mooney S, Coen C, Holmes M, Beery A. Region-specific associations between sex, social status, and oxytocin receptor density in the brains of eusocial rodents. Neuroscience 2015; 303:261-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.06.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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41
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Oxytocin mechanisms of stress response and aggression in a territorial finch. Physiol Behav 2015; 141:154-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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42
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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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Song Z, McCann KE, McNeill JK, Larkin TE, Huhman KL, Albers HE. Oxytocin induces social communication by activating arginine-vasopressin V1a receptors and not oxytocin receptors. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 50:14-9. [PMID: 25173438 PMCID: PMC4252597 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Revised: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) and their receptors are very similar in structure. As a result, at least some of the effects of these peptides may be the result of crosstalk between their canonical receptors. The present study investigated this hypothesis by determining whether the induction of flank marking, a form of social communication in Syrian hamsters, by OT is mediated by the OT receptor or the AVP V1a receptor. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of OT or AVP induced flank marking in a dose-dependent manner although the effects of AVP were approximately 100 times greater than those of OT. Injections of highly selective V1a receptor agonists but not OT receptor agonists induced flank marking, and V1a receptor antagonists but not OT receptor antagonists significantly inhibited the ability of OT to induce flank marking. Lastly, injection of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), a peptide that stimulates OT but not AVP release, significantly increased odor-induced flank marking, and these effects were blocked by a V1a receptor antagonist. These data demonstrate that OT induces flank marking by activating AVP V1a and not OT receptors, suggesting that the V1a receptor should be considered to be an OT receptor as well as an AVP receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Song
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katharine E McCann
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - John K McNeill
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tony E Larkin
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kim L Huhman
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Veening JG, de Jong TR, Waldinger MD, Korte SM, Olivier B. The role of oxytocin in male and female reproductive behavior. Eur J Pharmacol 2014; 753:209-28. [PMID: 25088178 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2014.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Revised: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a nonapeptide with an impressive variety of physiological functions. Among them, the 'prosocial' effects have been discussed in several recent reviews, but the direct effects on male and female sexual behavior did receive much less attention so far. As our contribution to honor the lifelong interest of Berend Olivier in the control mechanisms of sexual behavior, we decided to explore the role of OT in the present review. In the successive sections, some physiological mechanisms and the 'pair-bonding' effects of OT will be discussed, followed by sections about desire, female appetitive and copulatory behavior, including lordosis and orgasm. At the male side, the effects on erection and ejaculation are reviewed, followed by a section about 'premature ejaculation' and a possible role of OT in its treatment. In addition to OT, serotonin receives some attention as one of the main mechanisms controlling the effects of OT. In the succeeding sections, the importance of OT for 'the fruits of labor' is discussed, as it plays an important role in both maternal and paternal behavior. Finally, we pay attention to an intriguing brain area, the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMHvl), apparently functioning in both sexual and aggressive behavior, which are at first view completely opposite behavioral systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Veening
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Division of Pharmacology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - T R de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - M D Waldinger
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Division of Pharmacology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - S M Korte
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Division of Pharmacology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - B Olivier
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Division of Pharmacology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Neural mechanisms of female sexual behavior in the rat; comparison with male ejaculatory control. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2014; 121:16-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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de Jong TR, Beiderbeck DI, Neumann ID. Measuring virgin female aggression in the female intruder test (FIT): effects of oxytocin, estrous cycle, and anxiety. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91701. [PMID: 24614336 PMCID: PMC3948875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The costs of violence and aggression in our society have stimulated the scientific search for the predictors and causes of aggression. The majority of studies have focused on males, which are considered to be more aggressive than females in most species. However, rates of offensive behavior in girls and young women are considerable and are currently rising in Western society. The extrapolation of scientific results from males to young, non-maternal females is a priori limited, based on the profound sex differences in brain areas and functioning of neurotransmitters involved in aggression. Therefore, we established a paradigm to assess aggressive behavior in young virgin female rats, i.e. the female intruder test (FIT). We found that approximately 40% of un-manipulated adult (10-11 weeks old) female Wistar rats attack an intruder female during the FIT, independent of their estrous phase or that of their intruder. In addition, adolescent (7-8 weeks old) female rats selected for high anxiety behavior (HABs) displayed significantly more aggression than non-selected (NAB) or low-anxiety (LAB) rats. Intracerebroventricular infusion of oxytocin (OXT, 0.1 µg/5 µl) inhibited aggressive behavior in adult NAB and LAB, but not HAB females. Adolescent NAB rats that had been aggressive towards their intruder showed increased pERK immunoreactivity (IR) in the hypothalamic attack area and reduced pERK-IR in OXT neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus compared to non-aggressive NAB rats. Taken together, aggressive behavior in young virgin female rats is partly dependent on trait anxiety, and appears to be under considerable OXT control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trynke R. de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniela I. Beiderbeck
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Sociality and oxytocin and vasopressin in the brain of male and female dominant and subordinate mandarin voles. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2013; 200:149-59. [PMID: 24292210 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-013-0870-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2013] [Revised: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The dominant-subordinate hierarchy in animals often needs to be established via agonistic encounters and consequently affects reproduction and survival. Differences in brain neuropeptides and sociality among dominant and subordinate males and females remain poorly understood. Here we explore neuropeptide levels and sociality during agonistic encounter tests in mandarin voles. We found that dominant mandarin voles engaged in higher levels of approaching, investigating, self-grooming and exploring behavior than subordinates. Dominant males habituated better to a stimulus vole than dominant females. Dominant males displayed significantly less oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei and more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei, supraoptic nuclei, and the lateral and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Dominant females displayed significantly more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Sex differences were found in the level of oxytocin and vasopressin. These results indicate that distinct parameters related to central nervous oxytocin and vasopressin are associated with behaviors during agonistic encounters in a sex-specific manner in mandarin voles.
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Calcagnoli F, de Boer SF, Althaus M, den Boer JA, Koolhaas JM. Antiaggressive activity of central oxytocin in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 229:639-51. [PMID: 23624810 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3124-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE A substantial body of research suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin promotes social affiliative behaviors in a wide range of animals including humans. However, its antiaggressive action has not been unequivocally demonstrated in male laboratory rodents. OBJECTIVE Our primary goal was to examine the putative serenic effect of oxytocin in a feral strain (wild type Groningen, WTG) of rats that generally show a much broader variation and higher levels of intermale aggression than commonly used laboratory strains of rats. METHODS Resident animals were intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered with different doses of synthetic oxytocin and oxytocin receptor antagonist, alone and in combination, in order to manipulate brain oxytocin functioning and to assess their behavioral response to an intruder. RESULTS Our data clearly demonstrate that acute icv administered oxytocin produces dose-dependent and receptor-selective changes in social behavior, reducing aggression and potentiating social exploration. These antiaggressive effects are stronger in the more offensive rats. On the other hand, administration of an oxytocin receptor antagonist tends to increase (nonsignificantly) aggression only in low-medium aggressive animals. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that transiently enhancing brain oxytocin function has potent antiaggressive effects, whereas its attenuation tends to enhance aggressiveness. In addition, a possible inverse relationship between trait aggression and endogenous oxytocinergic signaling is revealed. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of brain oxytocinergic signaling for regulating intermale offensive aggression. This study supports the suggestion that oxytocin receptor agonists could clinically be useful for curbing heightened aggression seen in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders like antisocial personality disorder, autism, and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Calcagnoli
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands,
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Martinez LA, Levy MJ, Petrulis A. Endogenous oxytocin is necessary for preferential Fos expression to male odors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in female Syrian hamsters. Horm Behav 2013; 64:653-64. [PMID: 24012945 PMCID: PMC3857696 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Revised: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Successful reproduction in mammals depends on proceptive or solicitational behaviors that enhance the probability of encountering potential mates. In female Syrian hamsters, one such behavior is vaginal scent marking. Recent evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) may be critical for regulating this behavior. Blockade of OT receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) or the medial preoptic area (MPOA) decreases vaginal marking responses to male odors; lesion data suggest that BNST, rather than MPOA, mediates this effect. However, how OT interacts with sexual odor processing to drive preferential solicitation is not known. To address this issue, intact female Syrian hamsters were exposed to male or female odors and their brains processed for immunohistochemistry for Fos, a marker of recent neuronal activation, and OT. Additional females were injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV) with an oxytocin receptor antagonist (OTA) or vehicle, and then tested for vaginal marking and Fos responses to sexual odors. Colocalization of OT and Fos in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus was unchanged following exposure to male odors, but decreased following exposure to female odors. Following injections of OTA, Fos expression to male odors was decreased in BNST, but not in MPOA or the medial amygdala (MA). Fos expression in BNST may be functionally relevant for vaginal marking, given that there was a positive correlation between Fos expression and vaginal marking for BNST, but not MPOA or MA. Together, these data suggest that OT facilitation of neuronal activity in BNST underlies the facilitative effects of OT on solicitational responses to male odors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A Martinez
- Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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Wang Y, Xu L, Pan Y, Wang Z, Zhang Z. Species differences in the immunoreactive expression of oxytocin, vasopressin, tyrosine hydroxylase and estrogen receptor alpha in the brain of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and Chinese striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis). PLoS One 2013; 8:e65807. [PMID: 23762431 PMCID: PMC3676338 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Species differences in neurochemical expression and activity in the brain may play an important role in species-specific patterns of social behavior. In the present study, we used immunoreactive (ir) labeling to compare the regional density of cells containing oxytocin (OT), vasopressin (AVP), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), or estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) staining in the brains of social Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and solitary Chinese striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis). Multiple region- and neurochemical-specific species differences were found. In the anterior hypothalamus (AH), Mongolian gerbils had higher densities of AVP-ir and ERα-ir cells than Chinese striped hamsters. In the lateral hypothalamus (LH), Mongolian gerbils also had higher densities of AVP-ir and TH-ir cells, but a lower density of OT-ir cells, than Chinese striped hamsters. Furthermore, in the anterior nucleus of the medial preoptic area (MPOAa), Mongolian gerbils had higher densities of OT-ir and AVP-ir cells than Chinese striped hamsters, and an opposite pattern was found in the posterior nucleus of the MPOA (MPOAp). Some sex differences were also observed. Females of both species had higher densities of TH-ir cells in the MPOAa and of OT-ir cells in the intermediate nucleus of the MPOA (MPOAi) than males. Given the role of these neurochemicals in social behaviors, our data provide additional evidence to support the notion that species-specific patterns of neurochemical expression in the brain may be involved in species differences in social behaviors associated with different life strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Linxi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yongliang Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
- * E-mail:
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