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Hashikawa K, Hashikawa Y, Tremblay R, Zhang J, Feng JE, Sabol A, Piper WT, Lee H, Rudy B, Lin D. Esr1 + cells in the ventromedial hypothalamus control female aggression. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:1580-1590. [PMID: 28920934 PMCID: PMC5953764 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
As an essential means of resolving conflicts, aggression is expressed by both sexes but often at a higher level in males than in females. Recent studies suggest that cells in the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) that express estrogen receptor-α (Esr1) and progesterone receptor are essential for male but not female mouse aggression. In contrast, here we show that VMHvlEsr1+ cells are indispensable for female aggression. This population was active when females attacked naturally. Inactivation of these cells reduced female aggression whereas their activation elicited attack. Additionally, we found that female VMHvl contains two anatomically distinguishable subdivisions that showed differential gene expression, projection and activation patterns after mating and fighting. These results support an essential role of the VMHvl in both male and female aggression and reveal the existence of two previously unappreciated subdivisions in the female VMHvl that are involved in distinct social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robin Tremblay
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jiaxing Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - James E Feng
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alexander Sabol
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Walter T Piper
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hyosang Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, Korea
| | - Bernardo Rudy
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Emotional Brain Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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Díaz-Mataix L, Piper WT, Schiff HC, Roberts CH, Campese VD, Sears RM, LeDoux JE. Characterization of the amplificatory effect of norepinephrine in the acquisition of Pavlovian threat associations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:432-439. [PMID: 28814469 PMCID: PMC5580522 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044412.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The creation of auditory threat Pavlovian memory requires an initial learning stage in which a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS), such as a tone, is paired with an aversive one (US), such as a shock. In this phase, the CS acquires the capacity of predicting the occurrence of the US and therefore elicits conditioned defense responses. Norepinephrine (NE), through β-adrenergic receptors in the amygdala, enhances threat memory by facilitating the acquisition of the CS–US association, but the nature of this effect has not been described. Here we show that NE release, induced by the footshock of the first conditioning trial, promotes the subsequent enhancement of learning. Consequently, blocking NE transmission disrupts multitrial but not one-trial conditioning. We further found that increasing the time between the conditioning trials eliminates the amplificatory effect of NE. Similarly, an unsignaled footshock delivered in a separate context immediately before conditioning can enhance learning. These results help define the conditions under which NE should and should not be expected to alter threat processing and fill an important gap in the understanding of the neural processes relevant to the pathophysiology of stress and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Díaz-Mataix
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Walter T Piper
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Hillary C Schiff
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, The State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Clark H Roberts
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Vincent D Campese
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Robert M Sears
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
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Kerr DCR, Zava DT, Piper WT, Saturn SR, Frei B, Gombart AF. Associations between vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms in healthy young adult women. Psychiatry Res 2015; 227:46-51. [PMID: 25791903 PMCID: PMC4420707 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Revised: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
There have been few studies of whether vitamin D insufficiency is linked with depression in healthy young women despite women׳s high rates of both problems. Female undergraduates (n=185) living in the Pacific Northwest during fall, winter, and spring academic terms completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale weekly for 4 weeks (W1-W5). We measured serum levels of vitamin D3 and C (ascorbate; as a control variable) in blood samples collected at W1 and W5. Vitamin D insufficiency (<30ng/mL) was common at W1 (42%) and W5 (46%), and rates of clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D≥16) were 34-42% at W1-W5. Lower W1 vitamin D3 predicted clinically significant depressive symptoms across W1-W5 (β=-0.20, p<0.05), controlling for season, BMI, race/ethnicity, diet, exercise, and time outside. There was some evidence that lower levels of depressive symptoms in Fall participants (vs. Winter and Spring) were explained by their higher levels of vitamin D3. W1 depressive symptoms did not predict change in vitamin D3 levels from W1 to W5. Findings are consistent with a temporal association between low levels of vitamin D and clinically meaningful depressive symptoms. The preventive value of supplementation should be tested further.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. R. Kerr
- School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University,Corresponding author; ; 213 Reed Lodge, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97330, USA; Phone (541) 737-1364
| | | | | | | | - Balz Frei
- Linus Pauling Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University
| | - Adrian F. Gombart
- Linus Pauling Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University
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Piper WT, Saslow LR, Saturn SR. Autonomic and prefrontal events during moral elevation. Biol Psychol 2015; 108:51-5. [PMID: 25813121 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Revised: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Moral elevation, or elevation, is a specific emotional state triggered by witnessing displays of profound virtue and moral beauty. This study set out to characterize the physiology underlying elevation with measurements of heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity. During elevation, HR and RSA increased. These findings illustrate that elevation involves an uncommon combination of both sympathetic and parasympathetic activation, which is present in circumstances where arousal and social engagement are both required. In addition, we show evidence of content-dependent alterations of mPFC activity during elevation peaks. Altogether, this study shows that the induction of moral elevation recruits an uncommon autonomic and neural pattern that is consistent with previous understanding of socioemotional-induced allostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter T Piper
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Laura R Saslow
- Osher Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
| | - Sarina R Saturn
- School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States.
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