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Welch JD, Kozareva V, Ferreira A, Vanderburg C, Martin C, Macosko EZ. Single-Cell Multi-omic Integration Compares and Contrasts Features of Brain Cell Identity. Cell 2019; 177:1873-1887.e17. [PMID: 31178122 PMCID: PMC6716797 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 618] [Impact Index Per Article: 123.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Defining cell types requires integrating diverse single-cell measurements from multiple experiments and biological contexts. To flexibly model single-cell datasets, we developed LIGER, an algorithm that delineates shared and dataset-specific features of cell identity. We applied it to four diverse and challenging analyses of human and mouse brain cells. First, we defined region-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression in the mouse bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Second, we analyzed expression in the human substantia nigra, comparing cell states in specific donors and relating cell types to those in the mouse. Third, we integrated in situ and single-cell expression data to spatially locate fine subtypes of cells present in the mouse frontal cortex. Finally, we jointly defined mouse cortical cell types using single-cell RNA-seq and DNA methylation profiles, revealing putative mechanisms of cell-type-specific epigenomic regulation. Integrative analyses using LIGER promise to accelerate investigations of cell-type definition, gene regulation, and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Welch
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Velina Kozareva
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ashley Ferreira
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Charles Vanderburg
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Carly Martin
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Evan Z Macosko
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, 450 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, USA.
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Hofmann D, Straube T. Resting-state fMRI effective connectivity between the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala nuclei. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2723-2735. [PMID: 30829454 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the laterobasal nucleus (LB), centromedial nucleus (CM), and superficial nucleus (SF) of the amygdala form an interconnected dynamical system, whose combined activity mediates a variety of behavioral and autonomic responses in reaction to homeostatic challenges. Although previous research provided deeper insight into the structural and functional connections between these nuclei, studies investigating their resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity were solely based on undirected connectivity measures. Here, we used high-quality data of 391 subjects from the Human Connectome Project to estimate the effective connectivity (EC) between the BNST, the LB, CM, and SF through spectral dynamic causal modeling, the relation of the EC estimates with age and sex as well as their stability over time. Our results reveal a time-stable asymmetric EC structure with positive EC between all amygdala nuclei, which strongly inhibited the BNST while the BNST exerted positive influence onto all amygdala nuclei. Simulation of the impulse response of the estimated system showed that this EC structure shapes partially antagonistic (out of phase) activity flow between the BNST and amygdala nuclei. Moreover, the BNST-LB and BNST-CM EC parameters were less negative in males. In conclusion, our data points toward partially separated information processing between BNST and amygdala nuclei in the resting-state.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany
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Tong WH, Abdulai-Saiku S, Vyas A. Testosterone Reduces Fear and Causes Drastic Hypomethylation of Arginine Vasopressin Promoter in Medial Extended Amygdala of Male Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:33. [PMID: 30863290 PMCID: PMC6399424 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Testosterone reduces anxiety-like behaviors in rodents and increases exploration of anxiogenic parts of the environment. Effects of testosterone on innate defensive behaviors remain understudied. Here, we demonstrate that exogenous testosterone reduces aversion to cat odor in male mice. This is reflected as increased exploration of area containing cat urine when castrated male mice are supplied with exogenous testosterone. We also report that exogenous testosterone leads to DNA hypomethylation of arginine vasopressin (AVP) promoter in posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) and medial bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). Our observations suggest that testosterone acting on AVP system within extended medial amygdala might regulate defensive behaviors in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Han Tong
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Samira Abdulai-Saiku
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ajai Vyas
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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54
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Smithers HE, Terry JR, Brown JT, Randall AD. Sex-associated differences in excitability within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis are reflective of cell-type. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 10:100143. [PMID: 30937349 PMCID: PMC6430407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.100143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a sexually dimorphic brain region which plays a key role in stress, anxiety, and anxiety-related disorders. Human females have an increased susceptibility to anxiety-related disorders, however the physiological basis of this is not fully understood. Here we examined the effect of the oestrous cycle and sex on the electrophysiological properties of Type I and Type II cells in the anterolateral area of the BNST (BNSTALG) in unstressed animals. There was no significant effect of oestrous cycle on any of the parameters examined in either cell type. Compared to males, the female cohort had lower capacitance in Type I cells while having a higher capacitance in Type II cells. Type II cells also displayed decreased excitability in the female cohort. In order to confirm the effect of these populations on stress and anxiety, a correlation with behaviour on the elevated zero maze was carried out. We observed that increased excitability in Type II neurons correlated with a decrease in anxiety-like behaviour. These sex-specific differences in excitability may contribute to altered susceptibility to anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Smithers
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratory, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - John R. Terry
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Living Systems Institute, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Jonathan T. Brown
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratory, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Andrew D. Randall
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratory, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
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55
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Prefrontal-Bed Nucleus Circuit Modulation of a Passive Coping Response Set. J Neurosci 2018; 39:1405-1419. [PMID: 30573644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1421-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the challenges facing neuroscience entails localization of circuits and mechanisms accounting for how multiple features of stress responses are organized to promote survival during adverse experiences. The rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is generally regarded as a key site for cognitive and affective information processing, and the anteroventral bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (avBST) integrates homeostatic information from a variety of sources, including the mPFC. Thus, we proposed that the mPFC is capable of generating multiple features (endocrine, behavioral) of adaptive responses via its influence over the avBST. To address this possibility, we first optogenetically inhibited input to avBST from the rostral prelimbic cortical region of mPFC and observed concurrent increases in immobility and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) output in male rats during tail suspension, whereas photostimulation of this pathway decreased immobility during the same challenge. Anatomical tracing experiments confirmed projections from the rostral prelimbic subfield to separate populations of avBST neurons, and from these to HPA effector neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, and to aspects of the midbrain periaqueductal gray that coordinate passive defensive behaviors. Finally, stimulation and inhibition of the prelimbic-avBST pathway, respectively, decreased and increased passive coping in the shock-probe defensive burying test, without having any direct effect on active coping (burying) behavior. These results define a new neural substrate in the coordination of a response set that involves the gating of passive, rather than active, coping behaviors while restraining neuroendocrine activation to optimize adaptation during threat exposure.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The circuits and mechanisms accounting for how multiple features of responses are organized to promote adaptation have yet to be elucidated. Our report identifies a prefrontal-bed nucleus pathway that organizes a response set capable of gating passive coping behaviors while concurrently restraining neuroendocrine activation during exposure to inescapable stressors. These data provide insight into the central organization of how multiple features of responses are integrated to promote adaptation during adverse experiences, and how disruption in one neural pathway may underlie a broad array of maladaptive responses in stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Bagley MC, Ekelöf M, Rock K, Patisaul H, Muddiman DC. IR-MALDESI mass spectrometry imaging of underivatized neurotransmitters in brain tissue of rats exposed to tetrabromobisphenol A. Anal Bioanal Chem 2018; 410:7979-7986. [PMID: 30317443 PMCID: PMC6235718 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-018-1420-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
There is a pressing need to develop tools for assessing possible neurotoxicity, particularly for chemicals where the mode of action is poorly understood. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a highly abundant brominated flame retardant, has lately been targeted for neurotoxicity analysis by concerned public health entities in the EU and USA because it is a suspected thyroid disruptor and neurotoxicant. In this study, infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) coupled to a Q Exactive Plus mass spectrometer was used for the analysis of neurotransmitters in the brains of rats exposed to TBBPA in gestation and lactation through their mothers. Three neurotransmitters of interest were studied in three selected regions of the brain: caudate putamen, substantia nigra (SN), and dorsal raphe. Stable isotope labeled (SIL) standards were used as internal standards and a means to achieve relative quantification. This study serves as a demonstration of a new application of IR-MALDESI, namely that neurotransmitter distributions can be confidently and rapidly imaged without derivatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Caleb Bagley
- FTMS Laboratory for Human Health Research, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Måns Ekelöf
- FTMS Laboratory for Human Health Research, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Kylie Rock
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27691, USA
| | - Heather Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27691, USA
| | - David C Muddiman
- FTMS Laboratory for Human Health Research, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27691, USA.
- Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
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57
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Hodges TE, Louth EL, Bailey CDC, McCormick CM. Adolescent social instability stress alters markers of synaptic plasticity and dendritic structure in the medial amygdala and lateral septum in male rats. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:643-659. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1789-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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58
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Ogawa S, Tsukahara S, Choleris E, Vasudevan N. Estrogenic regulation of social behavior and sexually dimorphic brain formation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 110:46-59. [PMID: 30392880 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
It has long been known that the estrogen, 17β-estradiol (17β-E), plays a central role for female reproductive physiology and behavior. Numerous studies have established the neurochemical and molecular basis of estrogenic induction of female sexual behavior, i.e., lordosis, in animal models. In addition, 17β-E also regulates male-type sexual and aggressive behavior. In males, testosterone secreted from the testes is irreversibly aromatized to 17β-E in the brain. We discuss the contribution of two nuclear receptor isoforms, estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ to the estrogenic regulation of sexually dimorphic brain formation and sex-typical expression of these social behaviors. Furthermore, 17β-E is a key player for social behaviors such as social investigation, preference, recognition and memory as well as anxiety-related behaviors in social contexts. Recent studies also demonstrated that not only nuclear receptor-mediated genomic signaling but also membrane receptor-mediated non-genomic actions of 17β-E may underlie the regulation of these behaviors. Finally, we will discuss how rapidly developing research tools and ideas allow us to investigate estrogenic action by emphasizing behavioral neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonoko Ogawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan.
| | - Shinji Tsukahara
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Nandini Vasudevan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, WhiteKnights Campus, Reading, RG6 6AS, United Kingdom
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59
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The Neural Mechanisms of Sexually Dimorphic Aggressive Behaviors. Trends Genet 2018; 34:755-776. [PMID: 30173869 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Aggression is a fundamental social behavior that is essential for competing for resources and protecting oneself and families in both males and females. As a result of natural selection, aggression is often displayed differentially between the sexes, typically at a higher level in males than females. Here, we highlight the behavioral differences between male and female aggression in rodents. We further outline the aggression circuits in males and females, and compare their differences at each circuit node. Lastly, we summarize our current understanding regarding the generation of sexually dimorphic aggression circuits during development and their maintenance during adulthood. In both cases, gonadal steroid hormones appear to play crucial roles in differentiating the circuits by impacting on the survival, morphology, and intrinsic properties of relevant cells. Many other factors, such as environment and experience, may also contribute to sex differences in aggression and remain to be investigated in future studies.
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60
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Mouse MRI shows brain areas relatively larger in males emerge before those larger in females. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2615. [PMID: 29976930 PMCID: PMC6033927 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04921-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences exist in behaviors, disease and neuropsychiatric disorders. Sexual dimorphisms however, have yet to be studied across the whole brain and across a comprehensive time course of postnatal development. Here, we use manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to longitudinally image male and female C57BL/6J mice across 9 time points, beginning at postnatal day 3. We recapitulate findings on canonically dimorphic areas, demonstrating MEMRI’s ability to study neuroanatomical sex differences. We discover, upon whole-brain volume correction, that neuroanatomical regions larger in males develop earlier than those larger in females. Groups of areas with shared sexually dimorphic developmental trajectories reflect behavioral and functional networks, and expression of genes involved with sex processes. Also, post-pubertal neuroanatomy is highly individualized, and individualization occurs earlier in males. Our results demonstrate the ability of MEMRI to reveal comprehensive developmental differences between male and female brains, which will improve our understanding of sex-specific predispositions to various neuropsychiatric disorders. Sex differences occur in various aspects of neurodevelopment. Here the authors use manganese-enhanced MRI at nine different postnatal stages to detail the development of structural sex differences in the mouse brain.
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61
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Kikusui T, Kajita M, Otsuka N, Hattori T, Kumazawa K, Watarai A, Nagasawa M, Inutsuka A, Yamanaka A, Matsuo N, Covington HE, Mogi K. Sex differences in olfactory-induced neural activation of the amygdala. Behav Brain Res 2018; 346:96-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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62
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Hodges TE, Baumbach JL, McCormick CM. Predictors of social instability stress effects on social interaction and anxiety in adolescent male rats. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:651-663. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cheryl M. McCormick
- Department of Psychology; Brock University; Ontario Canada
- Centre for Neuroscience; Brock University; Ontario Canada
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63
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Lucia FS, Pacheco-Torres J, González-Granero S, Canals S, Obregón MJ, García-Verdugo JM, Berbel P. Transient Hypothyroidism During Lactation Arrests Myelination in the Anterior Commissure of Rats. A Magnetic Resonance Image and Electron Microscope Study. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:31. [PMID: 29755326 PMCID: PMC5935182 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid hormone deficiency at early postnatal ages affects the cytoarchitecture and function of neocortical and telencephalic limbic areas, leading to impaired associative memory and in a wide spectrum of neurological and mental diseases. Neocortical areas project interhemispheric axons mostly through the corpus callosum and to a lesser extent through the anterior commissure (AC), while limbic areas mostly project through the AC and hippocampal commissures. Functional magnetic resonance data from children with late diagnosed congenital hypothyroidism and abnormal verbal memory processing, suggest altered ipsilateral and contralateral telencephalic connections. Gestational hypothyroidism affects AC development but the possible effect of transient and chronic postnatal hypothyroidism, as occurs in late diagnosed neonates with congenital hypothyroidism and in children growing up in iodine deficient areas, still remains unknown. We studied AC development using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging and electron microscopy in hypothyroid and control male rats. Four groups of methimazole (MMI) treated rats were studied. One group was MMI-treated from postnatal day (P) 0 to P21; some of these rats were also treated with L-thyroxine (T4) from P15 to P21, as a model for early transient hypothyroidism. Other rats were MMI-treated from P0 to P150 and from embryonic day (E) 10 to P170, as a chronic hypothyroidism group. The results were compared with age paired control rats. The normalized T2 signal using magnetic resonance image was higher in MMI-treated rats and correlated with the number and percentage of myelinated axons. Using electron microscopy, we observed decreased myelinated axon number and density in transient and chronic hypothyroid rats at P150, unmyelinated axon number increased slightly in chronic hypothyroid rats. In MMI-treated rats, the myelinated axon g-ratio and conduction velocity was similar to control rats, but with a decrease in conduction delays. These data show that early postnatal transient and chronic hypothyroidism alters AC maturation that may affect the transfer of information through the AC. The alterations cannot be recovered after delayed T4-treatment. Our data support the neurocognitive delay found in late T4-treated children with congenital hypothyroidism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico S. Lucia
- Departamento de Histología y Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d’Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Jesús Pacheco-Torres
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain
| | - Susana González-Granero
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología Comparada, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Santiago Canals
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain
| | - María-Jesús Obregón
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José M. García-Verdugo
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología Comparada, Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pere Berbel
- Departamento de Histología y Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d’Alacant, Alicante, Spain
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Green DB, Shackleton TM, Grimsley JMS, Zobay O, Palmer AR, Wallace MN. Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194091. [PMID: 29584746 PMCID: PMC5870961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the main central processes affecting the cortical representation of conspecific vocalizations is the collateral output from the extended motor system for call generation. Before starting to study this interaction we sought to compare the characteristics of calls produced by stimulating four different parts of the brain in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). By using anaesthetised animals we were able to reposition electrodes without distressing the animals. Trains of 100 electrical pulses were used to stimulate the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG), hypothalamus, amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Each structure produced a similar range of calls, but in significantly different proportions. Two of the spontaneous calls (chirrup and purr) were never produced by electrical stimulation and although we identified versions of chutter, durr and tooth chatter, they differed significantly from our natural call templates. However, we were routinely able to elicit seven other identifiable calls. All seven calls were produced both during the 1.6 s period of stimulation and subsequently in a period which could last for more than a minute. A single stimulation site could produce four or five different calls, but the amygdala was much less likely to produce a scream, whistle or rising whistle than any of the other structures. These three high-frequency calls were more likely to be produced by females than males. There were also differences in the timing of the call production with the amygdala primarily producing calls during the electrical stimulation and the hypothalamus mainly producing calls after the electrical stimulation. For all four structures a significantly higher stimulation current was required in males than females. We conclude that all four structures can be stimulated to produce fictive vocalizations that should be useful in studying the relationship between the vocal motor system and cortical sensory representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B. Green
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Trevor M. Shackleton
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jasmine M. S. Grimsley
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Oliver Zobay
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alan R. Palmer
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mark N. Wallace
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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65
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Impact of X/Y genes and sex hormones on mouse neuroanatomy. Neuroimage 2018; 173:551-563. [PMID: 29501873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological sex influences brain anatomy across many species. Sex differences in brain anatomy have classically been attributed to differences in sex chromosome complement (XX versus XY) and/or in levels of gonadal sex steroids released from ovaries and testes. Using the four core genotype (4CG) mouse model in which gonadal sex and sex chromosome complement are decoupled, we previously found that sex hormones and chromosomes influence the volume of distinct brain regions. However, recent studies suggest there may be more complex interactions between hormones and chromosomes, and that circulating steroids can compensate for and/or mask underlying chromosomal effects. Moreover, the impact of pre vs post-pubertal sex hormone exposure on this sex hormone/sex chromosome interplay is not well understood. Thus, we used whole brain high-resolution ex-vivo MRI of intact and pre-pubertally gonadectomized 4CG mice to investigate two questions: 1) Do circulating steroids mask sex differences in brain anatomy driven by sex chromosome complement? And 2) What is the contribution of pre- versus post-pubertal hormones to sex-hormone-dependent differences in brain anatomy? We found evidence of both cooperative and compensatory interactions between sex chromosomes and sex hormones in several brain regions, but the interaction effects were of low magnitude. Additionally, most brain regions affected by sex hormones were sensitive to both pre- and post-pubertal hormones. This data provides further insight into the biological origins of sex differences in brain anatomy.
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66
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Kanaya M, Morishita M, Tsukahara S. Temporal Expression Patterns of Genes Related to Sex Steroid Action in Sexually Dimorphic Nuclei During Puberty. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:213. [PMID: 29770127 PMCID: PMC5940742 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex steroids play a major role in sexually dimorphic brain development during not only the perinatal period but also the pubertal period. We previously showed that, in male mice, the estrogen receptor-α (Esr1) and aromatase (Cyp19a1) genes are essential to the sexually dimorphic formation of the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) and the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), but the estrogen receptor-β (Esr2) gene is not necessary. We also showed that the androgen receptor (Ar) gene is essential to the sexually dimorphic formation of the BNSTp. These genes are expressed in the AVPV and BNSTp of perinatal mice. However, it remains unknown whether these genes are expressed in the AVPV and BNSTp during puberty, and whether the expression, if any, differs by sex, age, and brain region. Here, we dissected the AVPV and BNSTp from Nissl-stained brain sections of male and female mice on postnatal day (PD) 20 (prepuberty), PD30 (puberty onset in females), PD40 (puberty onset in males), and PD60 (young adult) using a laser microdissection system. We then examined the mRNA levels of Esr1, Esr2, Cyp19a1, and Ar in these brain regions. In the AVPV, Esr1 mRNA levels were greater in females than males during PD20-60. Esr2 and Ar mRNA expressions did not differ between sexes. Ar mRNA levels were higher at PD30 than PD20. Cyp19a1 mRNA was not detected in the AVPV at PD20-60. In the BNSTp, Esr1 and Esr2 mRNA levels were higher in females than in males during PD20-60, although the mRNA levels of Cyp19a1 and Ar did not differ between sexes. Additionally, we revealed that orchiectomy at PD20 induced a failure of normal formation of the male BNSTp and testosterone replacement in the prepubertal period rescued the effect of orchiectomy at PD20. Taken together, it is suggested that pubertal testosterone transported to the AVPV is not converted to estradiol there and does not act via ESR1 and ESR2. By contrast, the formation of the male BNSTp may be affected by testicular testosterone during puberty via AR and/or via ESR1 after conversion to estradiol by CYP19A1.
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Meyer CE, Kurth F, Lepore S, Gao JL, Johnsonbaugh H, Oberoi MR, Sawiak SJ, MacKenzie-Graham A. In vivo magnetic resonance images reveal neuroanatomical sex differences through the application of voxel-based morphometry in C57BL/6 mice. Neuroimage 2017; 163:197-205. [PMID: 28923275 PMCID: PMC5716897 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.09.027] [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: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Behaviorally relevant sex differences are often associated with structural differences in the brain and many diseases are sexually dimorphic in prevalence and progression. Characterizing sex differences is imperative to gaining a complete understanding of behavior and disease which will, in turn, allow for a balanced approach to scientific research and the development of therapies. In this study, we generated novel tissue probability maps (TPMs) based on 30 male and 30 female in vivo C57BL/6 mouse brain magnetic resonance images and used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to analyze sex differences. Females displayed larger anterior hippocampus, basolateral amygdala, and lateral cerebellar cortex volumes, while males exhibited larger cerebral cortex, medial amygdala, and medial cerebellar cortex volumes. Atlas-based morphometry (ABM) revealed a statistically significant sex difference in cortical volume and no difference in whole cerebellar volume. This validated our VBM findings that showed a larger cerebral cortex in male mice and a pattern of dimorphism in the cerebellum where the lateral portion was larger in females and the medial portion was larger in males. These results are consonant with previous ex vivo studies examining sex differences, but also suggest further regions of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra E Meyer
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Florian Kurth
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stefano Lepore
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Josephine L Gao
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hadley Johnsonbaugh
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mandavi R Oberoi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephen J Sawiak
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Box 65 Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Allan MacKenzie-Graham
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, 635 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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68
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Adolescence and Reward: Making Sense of Neural and Behavioral Changes Amid the Chaos. J Neurosci 2017; 37:10855-10866. [PMID: 29118215 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1834-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of significant neural and behavioral change with remarkable development in social, emotional, and cognitive skills. It is also a time of increased exploration and risk-taking (e.g., drug use). Many of these changes are thought to be the result of increased reward-value coupled with an underdeveloped inhibitory control, and thus a hypersensitivity to reward. Perturbations during adolescence can alter the developmental trajectory of the brain, resulting in long-term alterations in reward-associated behaviors. This review highlights recent developments in our understanding of how neural circuits, pubertal hormones, and environmental factors contribute to adolescent-typical reward-associated behaviors with a particular focus on sex differences, the medial prefrontal cortex, social reward, social isolation, and drug use. We then introduce a new approach that makes use of natural adaptations of seasonally breeding species to investigate the role of pubertal hormones in adolescent development. This research has only begun to parse out contributions of the many neural, endocrine, and environmental changes to the heightened reward sensitivity and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders that characterize this life stage.
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69
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Victor TA, Drevets WC, Misaki M, Bodurka J, Savitz J. Sex differences in neural responses to subliminal sad and happy faces in healthy individuals: Implications for depression. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:703-710. [PMID: 27870414 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Twice as many women as men suffer from mood and anxiety disorders, yet the biological underpinnings of this phenomenon have been understudied and remain unclear. We and others have shown that the hemodynamic response to subliminally presented sad or happy faces during functional MRI (fMRI) is a robust biomarker for the attentional bias toward negative information classically observed in major depression. Here we used fMRI to compare the performance of healthy females (n = 28) and healthy males (n = 28) on a backward masking task using a fast event-related design with gradient-recalled, echoplanar imaging with sensitivity encoding. The image data were compared across groups using a region-of-interest analysis with small-volume correction to control for multiple testing (Pcorrected < 0.05, cluster size ≥ 20 voxels). Notably, compared with males, females showed greater BOLD activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) and the right hippocampus when viewing masked sad vs. masked happy faces. Furthermore, females displayed reduced BOLD activity in the right pregenual ACC and left amygdala when viewing masked happy vs. masked neutral faces. Given that we have previously reported similar findings for depressed participants compared with healthy controls (regardless of gender), our results raise the possibility that on average healthy females show subtle emotional processing biases that conceivably reflect a subgroup of women predisposed to depression. Nevertheless, we note that the differences between males and females were small and derived from region-of-interest rather than voxelwise analyses. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wayne C Drevets
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma.,Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Titusville, New Jersey
| | - Masaya Misaki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma
| | - Jerzy Bodurka
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma.,College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma
| | - Jonathan Savitz
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma.,Faculty of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
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70
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Arambula SE, Fuchs J, Cao J, Patisaul HB. Effects of perinatal bisphenol A exposure on the volume of sexually-dimorphic nuclei of juvenile rats: A CLARITY-BPA consortium study. Neurotoxicology 2017; 63:33-42. [PMID: 28890130 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high volume endocrine disrupting chemical found in a wide variety of products including plastics and epoxy resins. Human exposure is nearly ubiquitous, and higher in children than adults. Because BPA has been reported to interfere with sex steroid hormone signaling, there is concern that developmental exposure, even at levels below the current FDA No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 5mg/kg body weight (bw)/day, can disrupt brain sexual differentiation. The current studies were conducted as part of the CLARITY-BPA (Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity) program and tested the hypothesis that perinatal BPA exposure would induce morphological changes in hormone sensitive, sexually dimorphic brain regions. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: BPA (2.5, 25, or 2500μg/kgbw/day), a reference estrogen (0.5μg ethinylestradiol (EE2)/kgbw/day), or vehicle. Exposure occurred by gavage to the dam from gestational day 6 until parturition, and then to the offspring from birth through weaning. Unbiased stereology was used to quantify the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN), the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), the posterodorsal portion of the medial amygdala (MePD), and the locus coeruleus (LC) at postnatal day 28. No appreciable effects of BPA were observed on the volume of the SDN or LC. However, AVPV volume was enlarged in both sexes, even at levels below the FDA NOAEL. Collectively, these data suggest the developing brain is vulnerable to endocrine disruption by BPA at exposure levels below previous estimates by regulatory agencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheryl E Arambula
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; WM Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Joelle Fuchs
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Jinyan Cao
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; WM Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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71
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Goode TD, Maren S. Role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in aversive learning and memory. Learn Mem 2017; 24:480-491. [PMID: 28814474 PMCID: PMC5580527 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044206.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Surviving threats in the environment requires brain circuits for detecting (or anticipating) danger and for coordinating appropriate defensive responses (e.g., increased cardiac output, stress hormone release, and freezing behavior). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical interface between the "affective forebrain"-including the amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex-and the hypothalamic and brainstem areas that have been implicated in neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to actual or anticipated threats. However, the precise contribution of the BNST to defensive behavior is unclear, both in terms of the antecedent stimuli that mobilize BNST activity and the consequent defensive reactions. For example, it is well known that the BNST is essential for contextual fear conditioning, but dispensable for fear conditioning to discrete conditioned stimuli (CSs), at least as indexed by freezing behavior. However, recent evidence suggests that there are circumstances in which contextual freezing may persist independent of the BNST. Furthermore, the BNST is involved in the reinstatement (or relapse) of conditioned freezing to extinguished discrete CSs. As such, there are critical gaps in understanding how the BNST contributes to fundamental processes involved in Pavlovian fear conditioning. Here, we attempt to provide an integrative account of BNST function in fear conditioning. We discuss distinctions between unconditioned stress and conditioned fear and the role of BNST circuits in organizing behaviors associated with these states. We propose that the BNST mediates conditioned defensive responses-not based on the modality or duration of the antecedent threat or the duration of the behavioral response to the threat-but rather as consequence the ability of an antecedent stimulus to predict when an aversive outcome will occur (i.e., its temporal predictability). We argue that the BNST is not uniquely mobilized by sustained threats or uniquely involved in organizing sustained fear responses. In contrast, we argue that the BNST is involved in organizing fear responses to stimuli that poorly predict when danger will occur, no matter the duration, modality, or complexity of those stimuli. The concepts discussed in this review are critical to understanding the contribution of the human BNST to fear and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
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72
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Zilkha N, Scott N, Kimchi T. Sexual Dimorphism of Parental Care: From Genes to Behavior. Annu Rev Neurosci 2017; 40:273-305. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-072116-031447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noga Zilkha
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Niv Scott
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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73
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Carter DA. Molecular phenotyping of transient postnatal tyrosine hydroxylase neurons in the rat bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Chem Neuroanat 2017; 82:29-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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74
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A comparative study of sex difference in calbindin neurons among mice, musk shrews, and Japanese quails. Neurosci Lett 2016; 631:63-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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75
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Whole-brain mapping of afferent projections to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in tree shrews. Neuroscience 2016; 333:162-80. [PMID: 27436534 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) plays an important role in integrating and relaying input information to other brain regions in response to stress. The cytoarchitecture of the BST in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) has been comprehensively described in our previous publications. However, the inputs to the BST have not been described in previous reports. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sources of afferent projections to the BST throughout the brain of tree shrews using the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold (FG). The present results provide the first detailed whole-brain mapping of BST-projecting neurons in the tree shrew brain. The BST was densely innervated by the prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, ventral subiculum, amygdala, ventral tegmental area, and parabrachial nucleus. Moreover, moderate projections to the BST originated from the medial preoptic area, supramammillary nucleus, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, locus coeruleus, and nucleus of the solitary tract. Afferent projections to the BST are identified in the ventral pallidum, nucleus of the diagonal band, ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus, posterior complex of the thalamus, interfascicular nucleus, retrorubral field, rhabdoid nucleus, intermediate reticular nucleus, and parvicellular reticular nucleus. In addition, the different densities of BST-projecting neurons in various regions were analyzed in the tree shrew brains. In summary, whole-brain mapping of direct inputs to the BST is delineated in tree shrews. These brain circuits are implicated in the regulation of numerous physiological and behavioral processes including stress, reward, food intake, and arousal.
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76
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Sex differences in the brain–an interplay of sex steroid hormones and sex chromosomes. Clin Sci (Lond) 2016; 130:1481-97. [DOI: 10.1042/cs20160299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although considerable progress has been made in our understanding of brain function, many questions remain unanswered. The ultimate goal of studying the brain is to understand the connection between brain structure and function and behavioural outcomes. Since sex differences in brain morphology were first observed, subsequent studies suggest different functional organization of the male and female brains in humans. Sex and gender have been identified as being a significant factor in understanding human physiology, health and disease, and the biological differences between the sexes is not limited to the gonads and secondary sexual characteristics, but also affects the structure and, more crucially, the function of the brain and other organs. Significant variability in brain structures between individuals, in addition to between the sexes, is factor that complicates the study of sex differences in the brain. In this review, we explore the current understanding of sex differences in the brain, mostly focusing on preclinical animal studies.
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77
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Dalooei JR, Sahraei H, Meftahi GH, Khosravi M, Bahari Z, Hatef B, Mohammadi A, Nicaeili F, Eftekhari F, Ghamari F, Hadipour M, Kaka G. Temporary amygdala inhibition reduces stress effects in female mice. J Adv Res 2016; 7:643-9. [PMID: 27489731 PMCID: PMC4950119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2016.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study investigated the effect of temporary inhibition of amygdala in response to metabolic changes caused by stress in female mice. Unilateral and bilateral amygdala cannulation was carried out, and after a week of recovery, 2% lidocaine hydrochloride was injected into the mice amygdalae five minutes before the induction of stress. A communication box was employed to induce stress for four consecutive days and plasma corticosterone, food and water intake, weight changes, and anorexia were measured as stress-induced metabolic changes. Results demonstrated that stress, increases stress, increased plasma corticosterone concentrations, weight, food, and water intake. Temporary inhibition of the amygdala slightly decreased plasma corticosterone concentrations, but did not fully reduce the effect of stress. The bilateral injection of lidocaine hydrochloride to the amygdala reduced the effect of stress and reduced water intake and weight. Unilateral injection of lidocaine hydrochloride into the left and right amygdala reduced food intake. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the left side and right side of amygdala nuclei play a different role in metabolic responses in stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hedayat Sahraei
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Maryam Khosravi
- Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Bahari
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Boshra Hatef
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Mohammadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateme Nicaeili
- Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateme Eftekhari
- Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateme Ghamari
- Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohamadmehdi Hadipour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gholamreza Kaka
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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78
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Fujiwara M, Nitta A, Chiba A. Regulation of sexual odor preference by sex steroids in the posterodorsal medial amygdala in female rats. Horm Behav 2016; 82:46-55. [PMID: 27178578 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Our previous study in male rats demonstrated that bilateral administration of flutamide, an androgen receptor (AR) antagonist, into the posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) increased the time sniffing male odors to as high as that sniffing estrous odors, eliminating the preference for estrous odors over male odors. This made us speculate that under blockade of AR in the MePD, testosterone-derived estrogen acting on the same brain region arouses interest in male odors which is otherwise suppressed by concomitant action of androgen. In cyclic female rats, endogenous androgen has been thought to be involved in inhibitory regulation of estrogen-activated sexual behavior. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the possibility that in female rats the arousal of interest in male odors is also normally regulated by both estrogen and androgen acting on the MePD, as predicted by our previous study in male rats. Implantation of either the estrogen receptor blocker tamoxifen (TX) or a non-aromatizable androgen 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) into the MePD of ovariectomized, estrogen-primed female rats eliminated preference for male odors over estrous odors by significantly decreasing the time sniffing male odors to as low as that sniffing estrous odors. The subsequent odor discrimination tests confirmed that the DHT and TX administration did not impair the ability to discriminate between male and estrous odors. These results suggest that in estrous female rats estrogen action in the MePD plays critical roles in the expression of the preference for male odors while androgen action in the same brain region interferes with the estrogen action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Fujiwara
- Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
| | - Asano Nitta
- Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
| | - Atsuhiko Chiba
- Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan.
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79
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Dumais KM, Alonso AG, Immormino MA, Bredewold R, Veenema AH. Involvement of the oxytocin system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the sex-specific regulation of social recognition. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 64:79-88. [PMID: 26630388 PMCID: PMC4698213 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 11/08/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in the oxytocin (OT) system in the brain may explain why OT often regulates social behaviors in sex-specific ways. However, a link between sex differences in the OT system and sex-specific regulation of social behavior has not been tested. Here, we determined whether sex differences in the OT receptor (OTR) or in OT release in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (pBNST) mediates sex-specific regulation of social recognition in rats. We recently showed that, compared to female rats, male rats have a three-fold higher OTR binding density in the pBNST, a sexually dimorphic area implicated in the regulation of social behaviors. We now demonstrate that OTR antagonist (5 ng/0.5 μl/side) administration into the pBNST impairs social recognition in both sexes, while OT (100 pg/0.5 μl/side) administration into the pBNST prolongs the duration of social recognition in males only. These effects seem specific to social recognition, as neither treatment altered total social investigation time in either sex. Moreover, baseline OT release in the pBNST, as measured with in vivo microdialysis, did not differ between the sexes. However, males showed higher OT release in the pBNST during social recognition compared to females. These findings suggest a sex-specific role of the OT system in the pBNST in the regulation of social recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Dumais
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA,Corresponding author: Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, McGuinn 300, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA, , 617-552-6149
| | - Andrea G. Alonso
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Marisa A. Immormino
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Remco Bredewold
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Alexa H. Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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80
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Wong JE, Cao J, Dorris DM, Meitzen J. Genetic sex and the volumes of the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core and shell: original data and a review. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:4257-4267. [PMID: 26666530 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1158-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences are widespread across vertebrate nervous systems. Such differences are sometimes reflected in the neural substrate via neuroanatomical differences in brain region volume. One brain region that displays sex differences in its associated functions and pathologies is the striatum, including the caudate-putamen (dorsal striatum), nucleus accumbens core and shell (ventral striatum). The extent to which these differences can be attributed to alterations in volume is unclear. We thus tested whether the volumes of the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core, and nucleus accumbens shell differed by region, sex, and hemisphere in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. As a positive control for detecting sex differences in brain region volume, we measured the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the medial preoptic area (SDN-POA). As expected, SDN-POA volume was larger in males than in females. No sex differences were detected in the volumes of the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core or shell. Nucleus accumbens core volume was larger in the right than left hemisphere across males and females. These findings complement previous reports of lateralized nucleus accumbens volume in humans, and suggest that this may possibly be driven via hemispheric differences in nucleus accumbens core volume. In contrast, striatal sex differences seem to be mediated by factors other than striatal region volume. This conclusion is presented within the context of a detailed review of studies addressing sex differences and similarities in striatal neuroanatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan E Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA
| | - Jinyan Cao
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA.,W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David M Dorris
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA
| | - John Meitzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA. .,W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. .,Center for Human Health and the Environment, Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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81
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Kyi-Tha-Thu C, Okoshi K, Ito H, Matsuda KI, Kawata M, Tsukahara S. Sex differences in cells expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the estrogen receptor-α promoter in the hypothalamus of mice. Neurosci Res 2015; 101:44-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2015.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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82
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Browning KN, Travagli RA. Central nervous system control of gastrointestinal motility and secretion and modulation of gastrointestinal functions. Compr Physiol 2015; 4:1339-68. [PMID: 25428846 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c130055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 322] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although the gastrointestinal (GI) tract possesses intrinsic neural plexuses that allow a significant degree of autonomy over GI functions, the central nervous system (CNS) provides extrinsic neural inputs that regulate, modulate, and control these functions. While the intestines are capable of functioning in the absence of extrinsic inputs, the stomach and esophagus are much more dependent upon extrinsic neural inputs, particularly from parasympathetic and sympathetic pathways. The sympathetic nervous system exerts a predominantly inhibitory effect upon GI muscle and provides a tonic inhibitory influence over mucosal secretion while, at the same time, regulates GI blood flow via neurally mediated vasoconstriction. The parasympathetic nervous system, in contrast, exerts both excitatory and inhibitory control over gastric and intestinal tone and motility. Although GI functions are controlled by the autonomic nervous system and occur, by and large, independently of conscious perception, it is clear that the higher CNS centers influence homeostatic control as well as cognitive and behavioral functions. This review will describe the basic neural circuitry of extrinsic inputs to the GI tract as well as the major CNS nuclei that innervate and modulate the activity of these pathways. The role of CNS-centered reflexes in the regulation of GI functions will be discussed as will modulation of these reflexes under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Finally, future directions within the field will be discussed in terms of important questions that remain to be resolved and advances in technology that may help provide these answers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsteen N Browning
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
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83
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Zancan M, Dall'Oglio A, Sarzenski TM, Maher MI, Garcia-Segura LM, Rasia-Filho AA. Glial and axonal perikaryal coverage and somatic spines in the posterodorsal medial amygdala of male and cycling female rats. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:2127-37. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2014] [Revised: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Zancan
- DCBS-Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-110 Brazil
| | - Aline Dall'Oglio
- DCBS-Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-110 Brazil
| | - Taís Malysz Sarzenski
- ICBS-Anatomy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-110 Brazil
| | - Martin Ian Maher
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC); 28002 Madrid Spain
| | | | - Alberto A. Rasia-Filho
- DCBS-Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-110 Brazil
- Graduation Program in Neurosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-110 Brazil
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84
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Rilett KC, Friedel M, Ellegood J, MacKenzie RN, Lerch JP, Foster JA. Loss of T cells influences sex differences in behavior and brain structure. Brain Behav Immun 2015; 46:249-60. [PMID: 25725160 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical and animal studies demonstrate that immune-brain communication influences behavior and brain function. Mice lacking T cell receptor β and δ chains were tested in the elevated plus maze, open field, and light-dark test and showed reduced anxiety-like behavior compared to wild type. Interestingly sex differences were observed in the behavioural phenotype of TCRβ-/-δ- mice. Specifically, female TCRβ-/-δ- mice spent more time in the light chamber compared to wild type females, whereas male TCRβ-/-δ- spent more time in the center of the open field compared to wild type males. In addition, TCRβ-/-δ- mice did not show sex differences in activity-related behaviors observed in WT mice. Ex vivo brain imaging (7 Tesla MRI) revealed volume changes in hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal gray, and dorsal raphe and other brain regions between wild type and T cell receptor knockout mice. There was also a loss of sexual dimorphism in brain volume in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, normally the most sexually dimorphic region in the brain, in immune compromised mice. These data demonstrate the presence of T cells is important in the development of sex differences in CNS circuitry and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly C Rilett
- Neurosci. Grad Program, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Miriam Friedel
- Mouse Imaging Ctr., Hosp. for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Ctr., Hosp. for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robyn N MacKenzie
- Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Ctr., Hosp. for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jane A Foster
- Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON, Canada; Brain-Body Institute, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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85
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Brusco J, Merlo S, Ikeda ÉT, Petralia RS, Kachar B, Rasia-Filho AA, Moreira JE. Inhibitory and multisynaptic spines, and hemispherical synaptic specialization in the posterodorsal medial amygdala of male and female rats. J Comp Neurol 2015; 522:2075-88. [PMID: 24318545 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Revised: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The density of dendritic spines is sexually dimorphic and variable throughout the female estrous cycle in the rat posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD), a relevant area for the modulation of reproductive behavior in rats. The local synaptic activity differs between hemispheres in prepubertal animals. Here we used serial section transmission electron microscopy to produce 3D reconstructions of dendritic shafts and spines to characterize synaptic contacts on MePD neurons of both hemispheres in adult males and in females along the estrous cycle. Pleomorphic spines and nonsynaptic filopodia occur in the MePD. On average, 8.6% of dendritic spines received inputs from symmetric gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-immunoreactive terminals, whereas 3.6% received two synaptic contacts on the spine head, neck, or base. Presynaptic terminals in female right MePD had a higher density of synaptic vesicles and docked vesicles than the left MePD, suggesting a higher rate of synaptic vesicle release in the right MePD of female rats. In contrast, males did not show laterality in any of those parameters. The proportion of putative inhibitory synapses on dendritic shafts in the right MePD of females in proestrus was higher than in the left MePD, and higher than in the right MePD in males, or in females in diestrus or estrus. This work shows synaptic laterality depending on sex and estrous cycle phase in mature MePD neurons. Most likely, sexual hormone effects are lateralized in this brain region, leading to higher synaptic activity in the right than in the left hemisphere of females, mediating timely neuroendocrine and social/reproductive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janaina Brusco
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, University of São Paulo, School of Medicine at Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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86
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Keeley RJ, Burger DK, Saucier DM, Iwaniuk AN. The size of non-hippocampal brain regions varies by season and sex in Richardson's ground squirrel. Neuroscience 2015; 289:194-206. [PMID: 25595988 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Revised: 11/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sex- and season-specific modulation of hippocampal size and function is observed across multiple species, including rodents. Other non-hippocampal-dependent behaviors exhibit season and sex differences, and whether the associated brain regions exhibit similar variation with sex and season remains to be fully characterized. As such, we examined the brains of wild-caught Richardson's ground squirrels (RGS; Urocitellus richardsonii) for seasonal (breeding, non-breeding) and sex differences in the volumes of specific brain areas, including: total brain volume, corpus callosum (CC), anterior commissure (AC), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), total neocortex (NC), entorhinal cortex (EC), and superior colliculus (SC). Analyses of variance and covariance revealed significant interactions between season and sex for almost all areas studied, primarily resulting from females captured during the breeding season exhibiting larger volumes than females captured during the non-breeding season. This was observed for volumes of the AC, mPFC, NC, EC, and SC. Where simple main effects of season were observed for males (the NC and the SC), the volume advantage favoured males captured during the NBr season. Only two simple main effects of sex were observed: males captured in the non-breeding season had significantly larger total brain volume than females captured in the non-breeding season, and females captured during the breeding season had larger volumes of the mPFC and EC than males captured in the breeding season. These results indicate that females have more pronounced seasonal differences in brain and brain region sizes. The extent to which seasonal differences in brain region volumes vary with behaviour is unclear, but our data do suggest that seasonal plasticity is not limited to the hippocampus and that RGS is a useful mammalian species for understanding seasonal plasticity in an ecologically relevant context.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Keeley
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - D K Burger
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - D M Saucier
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada
| | - A N Iwaniuk
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
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87
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Corre C, Friedel M, Vousden DA, Metcalf A, Spring S, Qiu LR, Lerch JP, Palmert MR. Separate effects of sex hormones and sex chromosomes on brain structure and function revealed by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and spatial navigation assessment of the Four Core Genotype mouse model. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:997-1016. [PMID: 25445841 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0952-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Males and females exhibit several differences in brain structure and function. To examine the basis for these sex differences, we investigated the influences of sex hormones and sex chromosomes on brain structure and function in mice. We used the Four Core Genotype (4CG) mice, which can generate both male and female mice with XX or XY sex chromosome complement, allowing the decoupling of sex chromosomes from hormonal milieu. To examine whole brain structure, high-resolution ex vivo MRI was performed, and to assess differences in cognitive function, mice were trained on a radial arm maze. Voxel-wise and volumetric analyses of MRI data uncovered a striking independence of hormonal versus chromosomal influences in 30 sexually dimorphic brain regions. For example, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the parieto-temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex displayed steroid-dependence while the cerebellar cortex, corpus callosum, and olfactory bulbs were influenced by sex chromosomes. Spatial learning and memory demonstrated strict hormone-dependency with no apparent influence of sex chromosomes. Understanding the influences of chromosomes and hormones on brain structure and function is important for understanding sex differences in brain structure and function, an endeavor that has eventual implications for understanding sex biases observed in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Corre
- Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
| | - Miriam Friedel
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 25 Orde Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada
| | - Dulcie A Vousden
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 25 Orde Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ariane Metcalf
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 25 Orde Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada
| | - Shoshana Spring
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 25 Orde Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada
| | - Lily R Qiu
- Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 25 Orde Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark R Palmert
- Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada. .,Institute of Medical Science, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Departments of Paediatrics and Physiology, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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88
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Kanaya M, Tsuda MC, Sagoshi S, Nagata K, Morimoto C, Tha Thu CK, Toda K, Kato S, Ogawa S, Tsukahara S. Regional difference in sex steroid action on formation of morphological sex differences in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus and principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112616. [PMID: 25398007 PMCID: PMC4232352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex steroid action is critical to form sexually dimorphic nuclei, although it is not fully understood. We previously reported that masculinization of the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), which is larger and has more neurons in males than in females, involves aromatized testosterone that acts via estrogen receptor-α (ERα), but not estrogen receptor-β (ERβ). Here, we examined sex steroid action on the formation of the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) that is larger and has more neurons in females. Morphometrical analysis of transgenic mice lacking aromatase, ERα, or ERβ genes revealed that the volume and neuron number of the male AVPV were significantly increased by deletion of aromatase and ERα genes, but not the ERβ gene. We further examined the AVPV and BNSTp of androgen receptor knockout (ARKO) mice. The volume and neuron number of the male BNSTp were smaller in ARKO mice than those in wild-type mice, while no significant effect of ARKO was found on the AVPV and female BNSTp. We also examined aromatase, ERα, and AR mRNA levels in the AVPV and BNSTp of wild-type and ARKO mice on embryonic day (ED) 18 and postnatal day (PD) 4. AR mRNA in the BNSTp and AVPV of wild-type mice was not expressed on ED18 and emerged on PD4. In the AVPV, the aromatase mRNA level was higher on ED18, although the ERα mRNA level was higher on PD4 without any effect of AR gene deletion. Aromatase and ERα mRNA levels in the male BNSTp were significantly increased on PD4 by AR gene deletion. These results suggest that estradiol signaling via ERα during the perinatal period and testosterone signaling via AR during the postnatal period are required for masculinization of the BNSTp, whereas the former is sufficient to defeminize the AVPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moeko Kanaya
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Mumeko C. Tsuda
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Shoko Sagoshi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kazuyo Nagata
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Chihiro Morimoto
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Chaw Kyi Tha Thu
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Katsumi Toda
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan
| | | | - Sonoko Ogawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Shinji Tsukahara
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
- * E-mail:
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89
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Janitzky K, Peine A, Kröber A, Yanagawa Y, Schwegler H, Roskoden T. Increased CRF mRNA expression in the sexually dimorphic BNST of male but not female GAD67 mice and TMT predator odor stress effects upon spatial memory retrieval. Behav Brain Res 2014; 272:141-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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90
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Raznahan A, Lue Y, Probst F, Greenstein D, Giedd J, Wang C, Lerch J, Swerdloff R. Triangulating the sexually dimorphic brain through high-resolution neuroimaging of murine sex chromosome aneuploidies. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 220:3581-93. [PMID: 25146308 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0875-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 08/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Murine sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) provide powerful models for charting sex chromosome influences on mammalian brain development. Here, building on prior work in X-monosomic (XO) mice, we use spatially non-biased high-resolution imaging to compare and contrast neuroanatomical alterations in XXY and XO mice relative to their wild-type XX and XY littermates. First, we show that carriage of a supernumerary X chromosome in XXY males (1) does not prevent normative volumetric masculinization of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and medial amygdala, but (2) causes distributed anatomical alterations relative to XY males, which show a statistically unexpected tendency to be co-localized with and reciprocal to XO-XX differences in anatomy. These overlaps identify the lateral septum, BNST, ventral group thalamic nuclei and periaqueductal gray matter as regions with replicable sensitivity to X chromosome dose across two SCAs. We then harness anatomical variation across all four karyotype groups in our study--XO, XX, XY and XXY--to create an agnostic data-driven segmentation of the mouse brain into five distributed clusters which (1) recover fundamental properties of brain organization with high spatial precision, (2) define two previously uncharacterized systems of relative volume excess in females vs. males ("forebrain cholinergic" and "cerebelo-pontine-thalamo-cortical"), and (3) adopt stereotyped spatial motifs which delineate ordered gradients of sex chromosome and gonadal influences on volumetric brain development. Taken together, these data provide a new framework for the study of sexually dimorphic influences on brain development in health and disrupted brain development in SCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Raznahan
- Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Rm 4C108, Building 20, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20815, USA.
| | - YanHe Lue
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Los Angele Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Frank Probst
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Deanna Greenstein
- Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Rm 4C108, Building 20, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Jay Giedd
- Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Rm 4C108, Building 20, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Christina Wang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Los Angele Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Jason Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre and Program in Neuroscience and Mental, The Hospital for Sick Children Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ronald Swerdloff
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Los Angele Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
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91
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Maekawa F, Tsukahara S, Kawashima T, Nohara K, Ohki-Hamazaki H. The mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation of behavior and physiology in mammals and birds: relative contributions of sex steroids and sex chromosomes. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:242. [PMID: 25177264 PMCID: PMC4132582 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
From a classical viewpoint, sex-specific behavior and physiological functions as well as the brain structures of mammals such as rats and mice, have been thought to be influenced by perinatal sex steroids secreted by the gonads. Sex steroids have also been thought to affect the differentiation of the sex-typical behavior of a few members of the avian order Galliformes, including the Japanese quail and chickens, during their development in ovo. However, recent mammalian studies that focused on the artificial shuffling or knockout of the sex-determining gene, Sry, have revealed that sex chromosomal effects may be associated with particular types of sex-linked differences such as aggression levels, social interaction, and autoimmune diseases, independently of sex steroid-mediated effects. In addition, studies on naturally occurring, rare phenomena such as gynandromorphic birds and experimentally constructed chimeras in which the composition of sex chromosomes in the brain differs from that in the other parts of the body, indicated that sex chromosomes play certain direct roles in the sex-specific differentiation of the gonads and the brain. In this article, we review the relative contributions of sex steroids and sex chromosomes in the determination of brain functions related to sexual behavior and reproductive physiology in mammals and birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiko Maekawa
- Molecular Toxicology Section, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute for Environmental Studies Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Shinji Tsukahara
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University Saitama, Japan
| | - Takaharu Kawashima
- Ecological Genetics Research Section, Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Keiko Nohara
- Molecular Toxicology Section, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute for Environmental Studies Tsukuba, Japan
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92
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93
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PACAP in the BNST produces anorexia and weight loss in male and female rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:1614-23. [PMID: 24434744 PMCID: PMC4023158 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Revised: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recent gene association studies have implicated pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) systems in several psychiatric disorders associated with stressor exposure, and we have argued that many of the behavioral consequences of repeated stressor exposure may depend on the expression of PACAP in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). One behavioral consequence of the activation of stress systems can be anorexia and subsequent weight loss, and both the activation of central PACAP systems as well as neuronal activity in the BNST have also been associated with anorexic states in rodents. Hence, we investigated the regulation of food and water intake and weight loss following BNST PACAP infusion. BNST PACAP38 dose-dependently decreased body weight, as well as food and water intake in the first 24 h following infusion. Because different BNST subregions differentially regulate stress responding, we further examined the effects of PACAP38 in either the anterior or posterior BNST. Anterior BNST PACAP38 infusion did not alter weight gain, whereas posterior PACAP38 infusion resulted in weight loss. PACAP38 infused into the lateral ventricles did not alter weight, suggesting that the effects of BNST-infused PACAP were not mediated by leakage into the ventricular system. These data suggest that PACAP receptor activation in posterior BNST subregions can produce anorexia and weight loss, and corroborate growing data implicating central PACAP activation in mediating the consequences of stressor exposure.
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94
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Avery SN, Clauss JA, Winder DG, Woodward N, Heckers S, Blackford JU. BNST neurocircuitry in humans. Neuroimage 2014; 91:311-23. [PMID: 24444996 PMCID: PMC4214684 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety and addiction disorders are two of the most common mental disorders in the United States, and are typically chronic, disabling, and comorbid. Emerging evidence suggests the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) mediates both anxiety and addiction through connections with other brain regions, including the amygdala and nucleus accumbens. Although BNST structural connections have been identified in rodents and a limited number of structural connections have been verified in non-human primates, BNST connections have yet to be described in humans. Neuroimaging is a powerful tool for identifying structural and functional circuits in vivo. In this study, we examined BNST structural and functional connectivity in a large sample of humans. The BNST showed structural and functional connections with multiple subcortical regions, including limbic, thalamic, and basal ganglia structures, confirming structural findings in rodents. We describe two novel connections in the human brain that have not been previously reported in rodents or non-human primates, including a structural connection with the temporal pole, and a functional connection with the paracingulate gyrus. The findings of this study provide a map of the BNST's structural and functional connectivity across the brain in healthy humans. In large part, the BNST neurocircuitry in humans is similar to the findings from rodents and non-human primates; however, several connections are unique to humans. Future explorations of BNST neurocircuitry in anxiety and addiction disorders have the potential to reveal novel mechanisms underlying these disabling psychiatric illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne N Avery
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Jacqueline A Clauss
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Neil Woodward
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.
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95
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Bienkowski MS, Wendel ES, Rinaman L. Organization of multisynaptic circuits within and between the medial and the central extended amygdala. J Comp Neurol 2014; 521:3406-31. [PMID: 23640841 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2012] [Revised: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The central and medial extended amygdala comprises the central (CEA) and medial nuclei of the amygdala (MEA), respectively, together with anatomically connected regions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). To reveal direct and multisynaptic connections within the central and medial extended amygdala, monosynaptic and transneuronal viral tracing experiments were performed in adult male rats. In the first set of experiments, a cocktail of anterograde and retrograde tracers was iontophoretically delivered into the medial CEA (CEAm), anterodorsal MEA (MEAad), or posterodorsal MEA (MEApd), revealing direct, topographically organized projections between distinct amygdalar and BST subnuclei. In the second set of experiments, the retrograde transneuronal tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV) was microinjected into the CEAm or MEAad. After 48 hours of survival, there were no significant differences between monosynaptic and PRV cases in the subnuclear distribution or proportions of retrogradely labeled BST neurons. However, after 60 hours of survival, CEAm-injected cases displayed an increased proportion of labeled neurons within the anteromedial group of BST subnuclei (amgBST) and within the posterior BST, which do not directly innervate the CEA. MEApd-injected 60-hour cases displayed a significantly increased proportion of retrograde labeling in the amgBST compared with monosynaptic and 48-hour cases, whereas MEAad-injected cases displayed no proportional changes over time. Thus, multisynaptic circuits within the medial extended amygdala overlap the direct connections making up this anatomical unit, whereas the multisynaptic boundaries of the central extended amygdala extend into BST subnuclei previously identified as part of the medial extended amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Bienkowski
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260
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96
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Liu Y, Lieberwirth C, Jia X, Curtis JT, Meredith M, Wang ZX. Chemosensory cues affect amygdaloid neurogenesis and alter behaviors in the socially monogamous prairie vole. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:1632-41. [PMID: 24641515 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined the effects of pheromonal exposure on adult neurogenesis and revealed the role of the olfactory pathways on adult neurogenesis and behavior in the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Subjects were injected with a cell proliferation marker [5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)] and then exposed to their own soiled bedding or bedding soiled by a same- or opposite-sex conspecific. Exposure to opposite-sex bedding increased BrdU labeling in the amygdala (AMY), but not the dentate gyrus (DG), of female, but not male, voles, indicating a sex-, stimulus-, and brain region-specific effect. The removal of the main olfactory bulbs or lesioning of the vomeronasal organ (VNOX) in females reduced BrdU labeling in the AMY and DG, and inhibited the male bedding-induced BrdU labeling in the AMY, revealing the importance of an intact olfactory pathway for amygdaloid neurogenesis. VNOX increased anxiety-like behavior and altered social preference, but it did not affect social recognition memory in female voles. VNOX also reduced the percentage of BrdU-labeled cells that co-expressed the neuronal marker TuJ1 in the AMY, but not the DG. Together, our data indicate the importance of the olfactory pathway in mediating brain plasticity in the limbic system as well as its role in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Liu
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
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97
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Jašarević E, Geary DC, Rosenfeld CS. Sexually selected traits: a fundamental framework for studies on behavioral epigenetics. ILAR J 2014; 53:253-69. [PMID: 23744965 DOI: 10.1093/ilar.53.3-4.253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic-based mechanisms contribute to various aspects of sex differences in brain and behavior. The major obstacle in establishing and fully understanding this linkage is identifying the traits that are most susceptible to epigenetic modification. We have proposed that sexual selection provides a conceptual framework for identifying such traits. These are traits involved in intrasexual competition for mates and intersexual choice of mating partners and generally entail a combination of male-male competition and female choice. These behaviors are programmed during early embryonic and postnatal development, particularly during the transition from the juvenile to adult periods, by exposure of the brain to steroid hormones, including estradiol and testosterone. We evaluate the evidence that endocrine-disrupting compounds, including bisphenol A, can interfere with the vital epigenetic and gene expression pathways and with the elaboration of sexually selected traits with epigenetic mechanisms presumably governing the expression of these traits. Finally, we review the evidence to suggest that these steroid hormones can induce a variety of epigenetic changes in the brain, including the extent of DNA methylation, histone protein alterations, and even alterations of noncoding RNA, and that many of the changes differ between males and females. Although much previous attention has focused on primary sex differences in reproductive behaviors, such as male mounting and female lordosis, we outline why secondary sex differences related to competition and mate choice might also trace their origins back to steroid-induced epigenetic programming in disparate regions of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eldin Jašarević
- Department of Psychological Sciences, the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, and the Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211, USA
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98
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Friedman RC, Downey JI. Sexual differentiation of childhood play: a contemporary psychoanalytic perspective. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2014; 43:197-211. [PMID: 24366660 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-013-0231-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Freud (1905/1953) anchored his theories of unconscious psychological functioning in observations and inferences about childhood sexuality. These ideas remain influential among psychoanalysts today. Much progress subsequently occurred in extra-psychoanalytic research in human sexuality. This included the discovery in 1959 of an entirely new area of psychology: the sexual differentiation of behavior (Phoenix, Goy, Gerall, & Young, 1959; Wallen, 2009). The observations that led to this new field originally concerned the effects of androgen administered prenatally to non-human animals. This early research was compatible with later studies of humans as well. Prenatal androgen influences both erotic and non-erotic behavior, including childhood rough-and-tumble play (RTP). We have previously emphasized the need to integrate this psychoneuroendocrine knowledge with psychoanalytic theory and practice (Friedman, 1988; Friedman & Downey, 2002, 2008a, 2008b). In this article, we discuss additional aspects of the relationship between sexually differentiated childhood play, particularly RTP, and gender differences in psychosexual development and functioning. These topics and other aspects of the sexual differentiation of behavior have been under-emphasized in psychoanalytic thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C Friedman
- Department of Psychiatry, Cornell/Weill Medical College, New York, NY, USA,
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99
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The biological basis of human sexual orientation: is there a role for epigenetics? ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2014; 86:167-84. [PMID: 25172350 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800222-3.00008-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Sexual orientation is one of the largest sex differences in humans. The vast majority of the population is heterosexual, that is, they are attracted to members of the opposite sex. However, a small but significant proportion of people are bisexual or homosexual and experience attraction to members of the same sex. The origins of the phenomenon have long been the subject of scientific study. In this chapter, we will review the evidence that sexual orientation has biological underpinnings and consider the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms. We will first discuss studies that show that sexual orientation has a genetic component. These studies show that sexual orientation is more concordant in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic ones and that male sexual orientation is linked to several regions of the genome. We will then highlight findings that suggest a link between sexual orientation and epigenetic mechanisms. In particular, we will consider the case of women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). These women were exposed to high levels of testosterone in utero and have much higher rates of nonheterosexual orientation compared to non-CAH women. Studies in animal models strongly suggest that the long-term effects of hormonal exposure (such as those experienced by CAH women) are mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. We conclude by describing a hypothetical framework that unifies genetic and epigenetic explanations of sexual orientation and the continued challenges facing sexual orientation research.
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100
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Bailey M, Silver R. Sex differences in circadian timing systems: implications for disease. Front Neuroendocrinol 2014; 35:111-39. [PMID: 24287074 PMCID: PMC4041593 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2013] [Revised: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 11/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Virtually every eukaryotic cell has an endogenous circadian clock and a biological sex. These cell-based clocks have been conceptualized as oscillators whose phase can be reset by internal signals such as hormones, and external cues such as light. The present review highlights the inter-relationship between circadian clocks and sex differences. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) serves as a master clock synchronizing the phase of clocks throughout the body. Gonadal steroid receptors are expressed in almost every site that receives direct SCN input. Here we review sex differences in the circadian timing system in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG), the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary (HPA) axis, and sleep-arousal systems. We also point to ways in which disruption of circadian rhythms within these systems differs in the sexes and is associated with dysfunction and disease. Understanding sex differentiated circadian timing systems can lead to improved treatment strategies for these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, United States.
| | - Rae Silver
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, United States; Department of Psychology, Barnard College, United States; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, United States.
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