51
|
Li Y, Mathis A, Grewe BF, Osterhout JA, Ahanonu B, Schnitzer MJ, Murthy VN, Dulac C. Neuronal Representation of Social Information in the Medial Amygdala of Awake Behaving Mice. Cell 2017; 171:1176-1190.e17. [PMID: 29107332 PMCID: PMC5731476 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The medial amygdala (MeA) plays a critical role in processing species- and sex-specific signals that trigger social and defensive behaviors. However, the principles by which this deep brain structure encodes social information is poorly understood. We used a miniature microscope to image the Ca2+ dynamics of large neural ensembles in awake behaving mice and tracked the responses of MeA neurons over several months. These recordings revealed spatially intermingled subsets of MeA neurons with distinct temporal dynamics. The encoding of social information in the MeA differed between males and females and relied on information from both individual cells and neuronal populations. By performing long-term Ca2+ imaging across different social contexts, we found that sexual experience triggers lasting and sex-specific changes in MeA activity, which, in males, involve signaling by oxytocin. These findings reveal basic principles underlying the brain's representation of social information and its modulation by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Mathis
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin F Grewe
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CNC Program, James H. Clark Center Biomedical Engineering & Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jessica A Osterhout
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Biafra Ahanonu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CNC Program, James H. Clark Center Biomedical Engineering & Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark J Schnitzer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CNC Program, James H. Clark Center Biomedical Engineering & Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Venkatesh N Murthy
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Brethel-Haurwitz KM, O'Connell K, Cardinale EM, Stoianova M, Stoycos SA, Lozier LM, VanMeter JW, Marsh AA. Amygdala-midbrain connectivity indicates a role for the mammalian parental care system in human altruism. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171731. [PMID: 29070724 PMCID: PMC5666102 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Costly altruism benefitting a stranger is a rare but evolutionarily conserved phenomenon. This behaviour may be supported by limbic and midbrain circuitry that supports mammalian caregiving. In rodents, reciprocal connections between the amygdala and the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) are critical for generating protective responses toward vulnerable and distressed offspring. We used functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging to explore whether these regions play a role in supporting costly altruism in humans. We recruited a rare population of altruists, all of whom had donated a kidney to a stranger, and measured activity and functional connectivity of the amygdala and PAG as altruists and matched controls responded to care-eliciting scenarios. When these scenarios were coupled with pre-attentive distress cues, altruists' sympathy corresponded to greater activity in the left amygdala and PAG, and functional connectivity analyses revealed increased coupling between these regions in altruists during this epoch. We also found that altruists exhibited greater fractional anisotropy within the left amygdala-PAG white matter tract. These results, coupled with previous evidence of altruists' increased amygdala-linked sensitivity to distress, are consistent with costly altruism resulting from enhanced care-oriented responses to vulnerability and distress that are supported by recruitment of circuitry that supports mammalian parental care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Katherine O'Connell
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Elise M Cardinale
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Maria Stoianova
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Sarah A Stoycos
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Leah M Lozier
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - John W VanMeter
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Abigail A Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| |
Collapse
|
53
|
Han Y, Li XY, Wang SR, Wei YC, Xu XH. Presence of pups suppresses hunger-induced feeding in virgin adult mice of both sexes. Neuroscience 2017; 362:228-238. [PMID: 28882425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.08.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent progress on neural pathways underlying individual behaviors, how an animal balances and prioritizes behavioral outputs remains poorly understood. While studying the relationship between hunger-induced feeding and pup-induced maternal behaviors in virgin female mice, we made the unexpected discovery that presence of pups strongly delayed and decreased food consumption. Strikingly, presence of pups also suppressed feeding induced by optogenetic activation of Agrp neurons. Such a suppressive effect inversely correlated with the extents of maternal behaviors, but did not rely on the display of these behaviors, and was also present in virgin males. Furthermore, chemogenetic activation of Vglut2+ neurons in the medial preoptic area (mPOA), a region critical for maternal behaviors and motivation, was sufficient to suppress hunger-induced feeding. However, muscimol inhibition of the mPOA, while disrupting maternal behaviors, did not prevent pup suppression of feeding, indicating that neural pathways in other brain regions may also mediate such an effect. Together, these results provide novel insights into neural coordination of pup care and feeding in mice and organizations of animal behaviors in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Han
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xing-Yu Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shao-Ran Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi-Chao Wei
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Gupta T, Morgan HR, Andrews JC, Brewer ER, Certel SJ. Methyl-CpG binding domain proteins inhibit interspecies courtship and promote aggression in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5420. [PMID: 28710457 PMCID: PMC5511146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05844-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive isolation and speciation are driven by the convergence of environmental and genetic variation. The integration of these variation sources is thought to occur through epigenetic marks including DNA methylation. Proteins containing a methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) bind methylated DNA and interpret epigenetic marks, providing a dynamic yet evolutionarily adapted cellular output. Here, we report the Drosophila MBD-containing proteins, dMBD-R2 and dMBD2/3, contribute to reproductive isolation and survival behavioral strategies. Drosophila melanogaster males with a reduction in dMBD-R2 specifically in octopamine (OA) neurons exhibit courtship toward divergent interspecies D. virilis and D. yakuba females and a decrease in conspecific mating success. Conspecific male-male courtship is increased between dMBD-R2-deficient males while aggression is reduced. These changes in adaptive behavior are separable as males with a hypermethylated OA neuronal genome exhibited a decrease in aggression without altering male-male courtship. These results suggest Drosophila MBD-containing proteins are required within the OA neural circuitry to inhibit interspecies and conspecific male-male courtship and indicate that the genetically hard-wired neural mechanisms enforcing behavioral reproductive isolation include the interpretation of the epigenome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tarun Gupta
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Hannah R Morgan
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Jonathan C Andrews
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Edmond R Brewer
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Sarah J Certel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States. .,Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
55
|
Ishii KK, Osakada T, Mori H, Miyasaka N, Yoshihara Y, Miyamichi K, Touhara K. A Labeled-Line Neural Circuit for Pheromone-Mediated Sexual Behaviors in Mice. Neuron 2017. [PMID: 28648498 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In mice, various instinctive behaviors can be triggered by olfactory input. Despite growing knowledge of the brain regions involved in such behaviors, the organization of the neural circuits that convert olfactory input into stereotyped behavioral output remains poorly understood. Here, we mapped the neural circuit responsible for enhancing sexual receptivity of female mice by a male pheromone, exocrine gland-secreting peptide 1 (ESP1). We revealed specific neural types and pathways by which ESP1 information is conveyed from the peripheral receptive organ to the motor-regulating midbrain via the amygdala-hypothalamus axis. In the medial amygdala, a specific type of projection neurons gated ESP1 signals to the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) in a sex-dependent manner. In the dorsal VMH, which has been associated with defensive behaviors, a selective neural subpopulation discriminately mediated ESP1 information from a predator cue. Together, our data illuminate a labeled-line organization for controlling pheromone-mediated sexual behavioral output in female mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro K Ishii
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Hiromi Mori
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | | | - Yoshihiro Yoshihara
- ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazunari Miyamichi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
Rickenbacher E, Perry RE, Sullivan RM, Moita MA. Freezing suppression by oxytocin in central amygdala allows alternate defensive behaviours and mother-pup interactions. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28606306 PMCID: PMC5469614 DOI: 10.7554/elife.24080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
When animals and their offspring are threatened, parents switch from self-defense to offspring protection. How self-defense is suppressed remains elusive. We postulated that suppression of the self-defense response, freezing, is gated via oxytocin acting in the centro-lateral amygdala (CeL). We found that rat dams conditioned to fear an odor, froze when tested alone, whereas if pups were present, they remained in close contact with them or targeted the threat. Furthermore, blocking oxytocin signaling in the CeL prevented the suppression of maternal freezing. Finally, pups exposed to the odor in the presence of the conditioned dam later froze when re-exposed alone. However, if oxytocin signaling in the dam had been blocked, pups failed to learn. This study provides a functional role for the well-described action of oxytocin in the central amygdala, and demonstrates that self-defense suppression allows for active pup protection and mother-pup interactions crucial for pup threat learning. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24080.001 Animals have many mechanisms to avoid or defend themselves against deadly encounters with predators. However, adult animals frequently put themselves at risk while protecting their more vulnerable offspring from attacks. For example, a killdeerbird with young will fake a broken wing and lead a predator away from its nest. This helps ensure that the parent’s genes live on and contribute to the survival of their species. To do this, the parent must override his or her own defense mechanisms and protect the young instead of themselves. Little is known about the exact mechanisms that allow animals to suppress their own defense mechanisms while protecting their young. Freezing is one tactic that animals will use when they are unable to escape a predator. Previously, studies have shown that the hormone oxytocin, which is produced in the brain, suppresses freezing behavior. Oxytocin plays an important role in birth and breastfeeding, but it is also known to strengthen the bond between individuals, in particular between mother and child. Until now, it was not known whether this hormone also blocks self-defense behaviors in animals protecting their offspring. Now, Rickenbacher et al. show that oxytocin does indeed block freezing behavior, enabling mother rats to protect their offspring in the face of a threatening smell. In the experiments, mother rats were taught to fear the scent of peppermint. Without their young, these rats would freeze whenever they smelled peppermint. Yet, when mother rats with their pups were exposed to the scent, they did not freeze. Instead, they tried to defend their young. Blocking oxytocin in a part of the mothers’ brains called the amygdala, however, caused them to freeze in response to the scent of peppermint, even in the presence of their pups. The experiments show that oxytocin helps mother rats suppress their self-defense mechanisms and is necessary for the mothers to protect their young. Rickenbacher et al. also showed that pups of oxytocin-treated mothers did not learn to freeze in response to the threat. But pups of untreated mothers who defended them, learned to freeze when they were exposed to the scent of peppermint. A next step will be to record neurons that produce oxytocin to better understand how the presence of the pups stimulate its production in their mothers. In addition, it is still unclear how pups learn from their mothers to freeze in response to a threat. One possibility is that the mother produces a molecule that signals danger. Identifying this molecule would be the next step. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24080.002
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rosemarie E Perry
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York, United States.,New York University Child Study Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York, United States.,New York University Child Study Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Marta A Moita
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, LIsboa, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
57
|
Benderlioglu Z, Dow E. Low temperatures during ontogeny increase fluctuating asymmetry and reduce maternal aggression in the house mouse, Mus musculus. Ethology 2017; 123:442-452. [PMID: 29062162 PMCID: PMC5650073 DOI: 10.1111/eth.12614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Maternal aggression is behavior displayed by post-partum lactating female mice toward unfamiliar conspecifics, presumably as a defense against infanticide. A variety of perinatal stressors can impair maternal care in adulthood. Previous studies on associations between developmental perturbations and maternal aggression have produced mixed results. To address this issue, we employed a proxy for developmental instability, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) to further elucidate the relationship between low temperature stress and maternal aggression. FA, small, random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral characters is used as a quantitative measure of stress during ontogeny. Dams were either maintained in standard laboratory temperatures (21 ± 2 °C), or cold temperatures (8 ± 2 °C) during gestation. During lactation, their progeny either remained in the temperature condition in which they were gestated or were transferred to the other temperature condition. Four individual measures of FA, a composite of these measures, and three measures of maternal aggression were assessed in the female progeny in adulthood. Exposure to low temperatures during both pre- and early post-natal development increased composite FA and reduced all three measures of maternal aggression compared to controls. Exposure to low temperatures during the pre- or postnatal period alone did not induce either high FA or altered maternal aggression. Certain measures of FA and nest defense were negatively correlated. Our results suggest that low temperatures experienced during gestation and lactation may have important fitness costs. Low maternal aggression towards infanticidal conspecifics is likely to limit the number of offspring surviving into adulthood. Overall, FA appears to be a reliable indicator of chronic developmental stress with implications for fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep Benderlioglu
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Eliot Dow
- The Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
58
|
Pittet F, Babb JA, Carini L, Nephew BC. Chronic social instability in adult female rats alters social behavior, maternal aggression and offspring development. Dev Psychobiol 2017; 59:291-302. [PMID: 28138966 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the consequences of chronic social instability (CSI) during adulthood on social and maternal behavior in females and social behavior of their offspring in a rat model. CSI consisted of changing the social partners of adult females every 2-3 days for 28 days, 2 weeks prior to mating. Females exposed to CSI behaved less aggressively and more pro-socially towards unfamiliar female intruders. Maternal care was not affected by CSI in a standard testing environment, but maternal behavior of CSI females was less disrupted by a male intruder. CSI females were quicker to attack prey and did not differ from control females in their saccharin consumption indicating, respectively, no stress-induced sensory-motor or reward system impairments. Offspring of CSI females exhibited slower growth and expressed more anxiety in social encounters. This study demonstrates continued adult vulnerability to social challenges with an impact specific to social situations for mothers and offspring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florent Pittet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University: Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts
| | - Jessica A Babb
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University: Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts.,Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lindsay Carini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University: Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts
| | - Benjamin C Nephew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University: Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
59
|
Terranova JI, Ferris CF, Albers HE. Sex Differences in the Regulation of Offensive Aggression and Dominance by Arginine-Vasopressin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:308. [PMID: 29184535 PMCID: PMC5694440 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) plays a critical role in the regulation of offensive aggression and social status in mammals. AVP is found in an extensive neural network in the brain. Here, we discuss the role of AVP in the regulation of aggression in the limbic system with an emphasis on the critical role of hypothalamic AVP in the control of aggression. In males, activation of AVP V1a receptors (V1aRs) in the hypothalamus stimulates offensive aggression, while in females activation of V1aRs inhibits aggression. Serotonin (5-HT) also acts within the hypothalamus to modulate the effects of AVP on aggression in a sex-dependent manner. Activation of 5-HT1a receptors (5-HT1aRs) inhibits aggression in males and stimulates aggression in females. There are also striking sex differences in the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of dominance. In males, the acquisition of dominance is associated with the activation of AVP-containing neurons in the hypothalamus. By contrast, in females, the acquisition of dominance is associated with the activation of 5-HT-containing neurons in the dorsal raphe. AVP and 5-HT also play critical roles in the regulation of a form of social communication that is important for the maintenance of dominance relationships. In both male and female hamsters, AVP acts via V1aRs in the hypothalamus, as well as in other limbic structures, to communicate social status through the stimulation of a form of scent marking called flank marking. 5-HT acts on 5-HT1aRs as well as other 5-HT receptors within the hypothalamus to inhibit flank marking induced by AVP in both males and females. Interestingly, while AVP and 5-HT influence the expression of aggression in opposite ways in males and females, there are no sex differences in the effects of AVP and 5-HT on the expression of social communication. Given the profound sex differences in the incidence of many psychiatric disorders and the increasing evidence for a relationship between aggressiveness/dominance and the susceptibility to these disorders, understanding the neural regulation of aggression and social status will have significant import for translational studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph I. Terranova
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Craig F. Ferris
- Department of Psychology, Center for Translational NeuroImaging, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - H. Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Elliott Albers,
| |
Collapse
|
60
|
Furigo IC, Ramos-Lobo AM, Frazão R, Donato J. Brain STAT5 signaling and behavioral control. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 438:70-76. [PMID: 27118133 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Several growth factors and cytokines recruit the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signaling pathway to control cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Nonetheless, the importance of this transcription factor for brain functions is still poorly understood. Because some STAT5-inducing hormones, such as prolactin and leptin, act in the brain to regulate the expression of motivated behaviors, this signaling pathway is likely involved in behavioral modulation. Therefore, the objective of the present review was to summarize and discuss the available data regarding the possible role of central STAT5 signaling in the regulation of brain functions, especially on behavioral control. We discussed studies that investigated the importance of STAT5 signaling in the regulation of maternal and feeding behaviors. Additionally, we highlighted other behaviors that could be potentially affected by STAT5 signaling. This knowledge may help to understand how motivated behaviors are regulated at the cellular level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isadora C Furigo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Angela M Ramos-Lobo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Renata Frazão
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - J Donato
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
61
|
Rappeneau V, Blaker A, Petro JR, Yamamoto BK, Shimamoto A. Disruption of the Glutamate-Glutamine Cycle Involving Astrocytes in an Animal Model of Depression for Males and Females. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:231. [PMID: 28018190 PMCID: PMC5147055 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Women are twice as likely as men to develop major depression. The brain mechanisms underlying this sex disparity are not clear. Disruption of the glutamate–glutamine cycle has been implicated in psychiatric disturbances. This study identifies sex-based impairments in the glutamate–glutamine cycle involving astrocytes using an animal model of depression. Methods: Male and female adult Long-Evans rats were exposed to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) for 21 days, using a modified resident-intruder paradigm. Territorial aggression was used for males and maternal aggression was used for females to induce depressive-like deficits for intruders. The depressive-like phenotype was assessed with intake for saccharin solution, weight gain, estrous cycle, and corticosterone (CORT). Behaviors displayed by the intruders during daily encounters with residents were characterized. Rats with daily handling were used as controls for each sex. Ten days after the last encounter, both the intruders and controls were subjected to a no-net-flux in vivo microdialysis to assess glutamate accumulation and extracellular glutamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The contralateral hemispheres were used for determining changes in astrocytic markers, including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1). Results: Both male and female intruders reduced saccharin intake over the course of CSDS, compared to their pre-stress period and to their respective controls. Male intruders exhibited submissive/defensive behaviors to territorial aggression by receiving sideways threats and bites. These males showed reductions in striatal GLT-1 and spontaneous glutamine in the NAc, compared to controls. Female intruders exhibited isolated behaviors to maternal aggression, including immobility, rearing, and selfgrooming. Their non-reproductive days were extended. Also, they showed reductions in prefrontal and accumbal GFAP+ cells and prefrontal GLT-1, compared to controls. When 10 μM of glutamate was infused, these females showed a significant accumulation of glutamate compared to controls. Infusions of glutamate reduced extracellular glutamine for both male and female intruders compared to their respective controls. Conclusion: Twenty-one days of territorial or maternal aggression produced a depressive-like phenotype and impaired astrocytes in both male and female intruders. Disruption of the glutamate–glutamine cycle in the PFC-striatal network may be linked to depressive-like deficits more in females than in males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Rappeneau
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Amanda Blaker
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jeff R Petro
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bryan K Yamamoto
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Akiko Shimamoto
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine Nashville, TN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
62
|
Quintana L, Zubizarreta L, Jalabert C, Batista G, Perrone R, Silva A. Building the case for a novel teleost model of non-breeding aggression and its neuroendocrine control. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:224-232. [PMID: 27915075 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, aggression has been traditionally associated with high levels of circulating androgens in breeding males. Nevertheless, the centrality of androgens as primary modulators of aggression is being reconsidered in at least in two particular cases: (1) territorial aggression outside the breeding season, and (2) aggression by females. We are developing the weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum, as a novel, advantageous model system to address these two alternative forms of aggression. This species displays a short, escalated contest, after which a clear hierarchical status emerges. Subordination of individuals involves three sequential decisions: interruptions of their electric discharges, retreats, and chirps. These decisions are influenced by both size asymmetry between contenders and aggression levels of dominants. Both females and males are aggressive, and do not differ in fighting ability nor in the value placed on the resource. Aggression is completely independent of gonadal hormones: dominance status is unrelated to circulating androgen and estrogen levels, and gonadectomy in males does not affect aggression. Nevertheless, estrogenic pathways participate in the modulation of this non-breeding aggression. Our results parallel those put forth in other taxa, heightening the value of G. omarorum as a model to identify commonalities in neuroendrocrine strategies of vertebrate aggression control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Quintana
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Lucía Zubizarreta
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Celular y Sináptica, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2125, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Cecilia Jalabert
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Gervasio Batista
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Rossana Perrone
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Ana Silva
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| |
Collapse
|
63
|
Agrati D, Ferreño M, Marin G, Uriarte N, Zuluaga MJ, Fernández-Guasti A, Ferreira A. Previous and recent maternal experiences modulate pups' incentive value relative to a male without affecting maternal behavior in postpartum estrous rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:140-148. [PMID: 27847258 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
This study extends the behavioral analysis of the postpartum estrus (PPE) which represents a unique period in the female rat's lifetime when maternal and sexual motivations co-exist. The aim of this study was to explore how previous and recent maternal experiences influence the maternal responses to pups when confronted with a male in a preference test or when they are presented independently in the home cage. To achieve this objective, we firstly compared the maternal behavior in the home cage and the preference for pups or a male in a Y-maze of primiparous and multiparous females approximately twelve hours after delivery. No differences were observed in the active and passive components of the maternal behavior of primiparous and multiparous rats; however second-time mothers made more efforts to gain access to the pups and tended to spend more time with them in the Y-maze than maternally inexperienced dams. In a second experiment, we assessed the influence of recent maternal experience with pups on PPE females' behavior by comparing pups vs. male preference and maternal behavior of females that had experienced continuous or limited (approximately two hours) interaction with their litters after parturition was completed. PPE rats subjected to reduced interaction with their pups preferred the male, while females continuously exposed to pups chose them over the male. This change in females' preference was not accompanied by significant alterations of maternal performance in the home cage, although anogenital licking tended to decrease in females with limited mother-litter interaction. Together, the results of these experiments indicate that previous and recent maternal experiences influence the motivational responses of PPE females, and that these effects are more evident when both motivations compete.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Agrati
- Seccion Fisiologia y Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Marcela Ferreño
- Seccion Fisiologia y Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gabriella Marin
- Seccion Fisiologia y Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Uriarte
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María José Zuluaga
- Seccion Fisiologia y Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Annabel Ferreira
- Seccion Fisiologia y Nutricion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| |
Collapse
|
64
|
Serotonin and arginine-vasopressin mediate sex differences in the regulation of dominance and aggression by the social brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:13233-13238. [PMID: 27807133 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1610446113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
There are profound sex differences in the incidence of many psychiatric disorders. Although these disorders are frequently linked to social stress and to deficits in social engagement, little is known about sex differences in the neural mechanisms that underlie these phenomena. Phenotypes characterized by dominance, competitive aggression, and active coping strategies appear to be more resilient to psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with those characterized by subordinate status and the lack of aggressiveness. Here, we report that serotonin (5-HT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) act in opposite ways in the hypothalamus to regulate dominance and aggression in females and males. Hypothalamic injection of a 5-HT1a agonist stimulated aggression in female hamsters and inhibited aggression in males, whereas injection of AVP inhibited aggression in females and stimulated aggression in males. Striking sex differences were also identified in the neural mechanisms regulating dominance. Acquisition of dominance was associated with activation of 5-HT neurons within the dorsal raphe in females and activation of hypothalamic AVP neurons in males. These data strongly indicate that there are fundamental sex differences in the neural regulation of dominance and aggression. Further, because systemically administered fluoxetine increased aggression in females and substantially reduced aggression in males, there may be substantial gender differences in the clinical efficacy of commonly prescribed 5-HT-active drugs such as selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors. These data suggest that the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD may be more effective with the use of 5-HT-targeted drugs in females and AVP-targeted drugs in males.
Collapse
|
65
|
Salais-López H, Lanuza E, Agustín-Pavón C, Martínez-García F. Tuning the brain for motherhood: prolactin-like central signalling in virgin, pregnant, and lactating female mice. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 222:895-921. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1254-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
66
|
Gammie SC. Current Models and Future Directions for Understanding the Neural Circuitries of Maternal Behaviors in Rodents. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 4:119-35. [PMID: 16251728 DOI: 10.1177/1534582305281086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behaviors in rodents include a number of subcomponents, such as nursing, nest building, licking and grooming of pups, pup retrieval, and maternal aggression. Because each behavior involves a unique motor pattern, a unique ensemble neural circuitry must underlie each behavior. To what extent there is overlap in terms of brain regions and specific neurons for each circuit is being actively investigated. This review will first examine overlapping and separate components of pup retrieval and maternal aggression circuitries while examining a central role for medial preoptic area (MPA) in both behaviors. With an emphasis on experimental approaches, the review will then highlight recent findings and propose future directions for understanding maternal behavior regulation. Finally, examples for why studying the neural basis of maternal behaviors can bring insights to other areas of neuroscience, such as feeding, addiction, and anxiety and aggression regulation will be provided.
Collapse
|
67
|
Veroude K, Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Bakker MJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. Genetics of aggressive behavior: An overview. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171B:3-43. [PMID: 26345359 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) address three types of aggression: frustrative non-reward, defensive aggression and offensive/proactive aggression. This review sought to present the evidence for genetic underpinnings of aggression and to determine to what degree prior studies have examined phenotypes that fit into the RDoC framework. Although the constructs of defensive and offensive aggression have been widely used in the animal genetics literature, the human literature is mostly agnostic with regard to all the RDoC constructs. We know from twin studies that about half the variance in behavior may be explained by genetic risk factors. This is true for both dimensional, trait-like, measures of aggression and categorical definitions of psychopathology. The non-shared environment seems to have a moderate influence with the effects of shared environment being unclear. Human molecular genetic studies of aggression are in an early stage. The most promising candidates are in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems along with hormonal regulators. Genome-wide association studies have not yet achieved genome-wide significance, but current samples are too small to detect variants having the small effects one would expect for a complex disorder. The strongest molecular evidence for a genetic basis for aggression comes from animal models comparing aggressive and non-aggressive strains or documenting the effects of gene knockouts. Although we have learned much from these prior studies, future studies should improve the measurement of aggression by using a systematic method of measurement such as that proposed by the RDoC initiative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Veroude
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yanli Zhang-James
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Mireille J Bakker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
68
|
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". The postpartum period involves some truly transformational changes in females' socioemotional behaviors. For most female laboratory rodents and women, these changes include an improvement in their affective state, which has positive consequences for their ability to sensitively care for their offspring. There is heterogeneity among females in the likelihood of this positive affective change, though, and some women experience elevated anxiety or depression (or in rodents anxiety- or depression-related behaviors) after giving birth. We aim to contribute to the understanding of this heterogeneity in maternal affectivity by reviewing selected components of the scientific literatures on laboratory rodents and humans examining how mothers' physical contact with her infants, genetics, history of anxiety and depression and early-life and recent-life experiences contribute to individual differences in postpartum affective states. These studies together indicate that multiple biological and environmental factors beyond female maternal state shape affective responses during the postpartum period, and probably do so in an interactive manner. Furthermore, the similar capacity of some of these factors to modulate anxiety and depression in human and rodent mothers suggests cross-species conservation of mechanisms regulating postpartum affectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Agrati
- Department of Physiology and Nutrition, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program & Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| |
Collapse
|
69
|
Caldwell HK, Albers HE. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and the Motivational Forces that Drive Social Behaviors. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2016; 27:51-103. [PMID: 26472550 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The motivation to engage in social behaviors is influenced by past experience and internal state, but also depends on the behavior of other animals. Across species, the oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) systems have consistently been linked to the modulation of motivated social behaviors. However, how they interact with other systems, such as the mesolimbic dopamine system, remains understudied. Further, while the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate prosocial/cooperative behaviors have been extensively examined, far less is understood about competitive behaviors, particularly in females. In this chapter, we highlight the specific contributions of Oxt and Avp to several cooperative and competitive behaviors and discuss their relevance to the concept of social motivation across species, including humans. Further, we discuss the implications for neuropsychiatric diseases and suggest future areas of investigation.
Collapse
|
70
|
Pereira M, Ferreira A. Neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis of parenting: Dynamic coordination of motivational, affective and cognitive processes. Horm Behav 2016; 77:72-85. [PMID: 26296592 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2015] [Revised: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Becoming a parent is arguably the most profound transforming experience in life. It is also inherently very emotionally and physically demanding, such that the reciprocal interaction with the young changes the brain and behavior of the parents. In this review, we examine the neurobiological mechanisms of parenting primarily discussing recent research findings in rodents and primates, especially humans. We argue that it is essential to consider parenting within a conceptual framework that recognizes the dynamics of the reciprocal mother-young relationship, including both the complexity and neuroplasticity of its underlying mechanisms. Converging research suggests that the concerted activity of a distributed network of subcortical and cortical brain structures regulates different key aspects of parenting, including the sensory analysis of infant stimuli as well as motivational, affective and cognitive processes. The interplay among these processes depends on the action of various neurotransmitters and hormones that modulate the timely and coordinated execution of caregiving responses of the maternal circuitry exquisitely attuned to the young's affect, needs and developmental stage. We conclude with a summary and a set of questions that may guide future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Pereira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
| | - Annabel Ferreira
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| |
Collapse
|
71
|
Smith JD, Woodhouse SS, Clark CAC, Skowron EA. Attachment status and mother-preschooler parasympathetic response to the strange situation procedure. Biol Psychol 2015; 114:39-48. [PMID: 26738633 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early attachment relationships are important for children's development of behavioral and physiological regulation strategies. Parasympathetic nervous system activity, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is a key indicator of self-regulation, with links to numerous developmental outcomes. Attachment-related changes in and associations between mother and child RSA during the Strange Situation procedure (SSP) can elucidate individual differences in physiological response to stress that are important for understanding the development of and intervention for psychopathology. METHODS A sample of 142 at-risk mothers and preschool-age children participated in the SSP and provided time-synchronized RSA data during the 7 episodes, which included 2 separations and 2 reunions. Attachment classifications were obtained using the Cassidy et al. (1992) coding system. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to examine attachment-related change in RSA during the SSP and the concordance between mother and child RSA over time. RESULTS Findings demonstrated attachment-related differences in children's RSA. Secure children's RSA was relatively stable over time, whereas insecure-avoidant children showed RSA increases during the first separation and insecure-resistant children's RSA declined across the SSP. Mothers showed RSA withdrawal during separation regardless of child's attachment classification. Mother-child RSA showed a positive concordance that was strongest in the insecure-resistant group, compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Results support attachment theories concerning parasympathetic response to stress and the role of the mother-child relationship in physiological regulation. Our findings advance previous research by focusing on at-risk mother-preschooler dyads within diverse attachment classifications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin D Smith
- Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Susan S Woodhouse
- Department of Education and Human Services, Lehigh University, United States
| | - Caron A C Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Skowron
- Department of Counseling Psychology & Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, United States
| |
Collapse
|
72
|
Prenatal exposure to fipronil disturbs maternal aggressive behavior in rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2015; 52:11-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2015.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
73
|
Martín-Sánchez A, Valera-Marín G, Hernández-Martínez A, Lanuza E, Martínez-García F, Agustín-Pavón C. Wired for motherhood: induction of maternal care but not maternal aggression in virgin female CD1 mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:197. [PMID: 26257621 PMCID: PMC4512027 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Virgin adult female mice display nearly spontaneous maternal care towards foster pups after a short period of sensitization. This indicates that maternal care is triggered by sensory stimulation provided by the pups and that its onset is largely independent on the physiological events related to gestation, parturition and lactation. Conversely, the factors influencing maternal aggression are poorly understood. In this study, we sought to characterize two models of maternal sensitization in the outbred CD1 strain. To do so, a group of virgin females (godmothers) were exposed to continuous cohabitation with a lactating dam and their pups from the moment of parturition, whereas a second group (pup-sensitized females), were exposed 2 h daily to foster pups. Both groups were tested for maternal behavior on postnatal days 2–4. Godmothers expressed full maternal care from the first test. Also, they expressed higher levels of crouching than dams. Pup-sensitized females differed from dams in all measures of pup-directed behavior in the first test, and expressed full maternal care after two sessions of contact with pups. However, both protocols failed to induce maternal aggression toward a male intruder after full onset of pup-directed maternal behavior, even in the presence of pups. Our study confirms that adult female mice need a short sensitization period before the onset of maternal care. Further, it shows that pup-oriented and non-pup-oriented components of maternal behavior are under different physiological control. We conclude that the godmother model might be useful to study the physiological and neural bases of the maternal behavior repertoire.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Martín-Sánchez
- Laboratory of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I Castelló de la Plana, Spain ; Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Guillermo Valera-Marín
- Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Adoración Hernández-Martínez
- Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Departaments de Biologia Cel·lular i de Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Laboratory of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Carmen Agustín-Pavón
- Laboratory of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
74
|
The neurobiology of offensive aggression: Revealing a modular view. Physiol Behav 2015; 146:111-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
|
75
|
Lonstein JS, Lévy F, Fleming AS. Common and divergent psychobiological mechanisms underlying maternal behaviors in non-human and human mammals. Horm Behav 2015; 73:156-85. [PMID: 26122301 PMCID: PMC4546863 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Maternal interactions with young occupy most of the reproductive period for female mammals and are absolutely essential for offspring survival and development. The hormonal, sensory, reward-related, emotional, cognitive and neurobiological regulators of maternal caregiving behaviors have been well studied in numerous subprimate mammalian species, and some of the importance of this body of work is thought to be its relevance for understanding similar controls in humans. We here review many of the important biopsychological influences on maternal behaviors in the two best studied non-human animals, laboratory rats and sheep, and directly examine how the conceptual framework established by some of the major discoveries in these animal "models" do or do not hold for our understanding of human mothering. We also explore some of the limits for extrapolating from non-human animals to humans. We conclude that there are many similarities between non-human and human mothers in the biological and psychological factors influencing their early maternal behavior and that many of the differences are due to species-characteristic features related to the role of hormones, the relative importance of each sensory system, flexibility in what behaviors are exhibited, the presence or absence of language, and the complexity of cortical function influencing caregiving behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Psychology, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Frédéric Lévy
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA-CNRS-Université de Tours IFCE, Nouzilly 37380, France.
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
76
|
Palombit RA. Infanticide as sexual conflict: coevolution of male strategies and female counterstrategies. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2015; 7:a017640. [PMID: 25986557 PMCID: PMC4448612 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a017640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
One of the earliest recognized forms of sexual conflict was infanticide by males, which imposes serious costs on female reproductive success. Here I review two bodies of evidence addressing coevolved strategies of males and females. The original sexual selection hypothesis arguing that infanticide improves male mating success by accelerating the return of females to fertilizable condition has been generally supported in some taxa--notably, some primates, carnivores, rodents, and cetaceans--but not in other taxa. One result of recent research has been to implicate other selective benefits of infanticide by males in various taxa from insects to birds to mammals, such as acquisition of breeding status or improvement of the female breeding condition. In some cases, however, the adaptive significance of male infanticide remains obscure. The second body of data I review is arguably the most important result of recent research: clarifying the possible female counterstrategies to infanticide. These potential counterstrategies span diverse biological systems, ranging from sexual behavior (e.g., polyandrous mating), to physiology (e.g., the Bruce effect), to individual behavior (e.g., maternal aggression), to social strategies (e.g., association with coalitionary defenders of either sex). Although much remains to be studied, these current data provide compelling evidence of sexually antagonistic coevolution surrounding the phenomenon of infanticide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryne A Palombit
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
| |
Collapse
|
77
|
Martín-Sánchez A, McLean L, Beynon RJ, Hurst JL, Ayala G, Lanuza E, Martínez-Garcia F. From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: when pheromones change their behavioural significance. Horm Behav 2015; 68:65-76. [PMID: 25161057 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". This paper reviews the role of chemosignals in the socio-sexual interactions of female mice, and reports two experiments testing the role of pup-derived chemosignals and the male sexual pheromone darcin in inducing and promoting maternal aggression. Female mice are attracted to urine-borne male pheromones. Volatile and non-volatile urine fractions have been proposed to contain olfactory and vomeronasal pheromones. In particular, the male-specific major urinary protein (MUP) MUP20, darcin, has been shown to be rewarding and attractive to females. Non-urinary male chemosignals, such as the lacrimal protein ESP1, promote lordosis in female mice, but its attractive properties are still to be tested. There is evidence indicating that ESP1 and MUPs are detected by vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2R). When a female mouse becomes pregnant, she undergoes dramatic changes in her physiology and behaviour. She builds a nest for her pups and takes care of them. Dams also defend the nest against conspecific intruders, attacking especially gonadally intact males. Maternal behaviour is dependent on a functional olfactory system, thus suggesting a role of chemosignals in the development of maternal behaviour. Our first experiment demonstrates, however, that pup chemosignals are not sufficient to induce maternal aggression in virgin females. In addition, it is known that vomeronasal stimuli are needed for maternal aggression. Since MUPs (and other molecules) are able to promote intermale aggression, in our second experiment we test if the attractive MUP darcin also promotes attacks on castrated male intruders by lactating dams. Our findings demonstrate that the same chemosignal, darcin, promotes attraction or aggression according to female reproductive state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Martín-Sánchez
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Lynn McLean
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Robert J Beynon
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jane L Hurst
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Guillermo Ayala
- Department of Statistics and Operative Research, Faculty of Mathematics, Avda. Vicent Andrés Estellés, 1, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-Garcia
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
78
|
Shimamoto A, Holly EN, Boyson CO, DeBold JF, Miczek KA. Individual differences in anhedonic and accumbal dopamine responses to chronic social stress and their link to cocaine self-administration in female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:825-34. [PMID: 25178816 PMCID: PMC4310791 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3725-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Women are twice as likely as men to develop major depressive disorder. Exposure to chronic stress can induce depression in some vulnerable individuals, while others are resistant to depressive-like symptoms after equivalent levels of chronic stress. OBJECTIVES In female rats, individual differences in saccharin intake during chronic social defeat stress may predict subsequent cocaine self-administration, and may be attributed to alterations in mesolimbic dopamine activity. METHODS Female rats were exposed to 21 days of chronic social defeat stress, during which they were evaluated for their anhedonia-like responses in the form of saccharin intake. After chronic social defeat stress, the rats were tested for behavioral cross-sensitization to cocaine and escalated cocaine self-administration in a 24-h "binge." A separate group of animals underwent in vivo microdialysis of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell to assess dopamine (DA) in response to acute cocaine challenge. RESULTS Cluster analysis revealed two phenotypes among the stressed female rats based on their saccharin intake while being exposed to stress, termed stress-resistant (SR, 28 %) and stress-sensitive (SS, 72 %). The amount of cocaine self-administered during the 24-h "binge" was positively correlated with preceding saccharin intake. The NAc DA response to a cocaine challenge was significantly lower in SR rats than in the SS and non-stressed control rats. No other significant differences were observed in behavioral cross-sensitization or cocaine self-administration prior to the "binge." CONCLUSION Female rats showed individual differences in their anhedonic-like response to chronic social defeat stress, and these differences were reliably associated with subsequent cocaine-taking behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Shimamoto
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA,
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
79
|
Affective, Cognitive, and Motivational Processes of Maternal Care. PERINATAL PROGRAMMING OF NEURODEVELOPMENT 2015; 10:199-217. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1372-5_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
|
80
|
Bridges RS. Neuroendocrine regulation of maternal behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 36:178-96. [PMID: 25500107 PMCID: PMC4342279 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Revised: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The expression of maternal behavior in mammals is regulated by the developmental and experiential events over a female's lifetime. In this review the relationships between the endocrine and neural systems that play key roles in these developmental and experiential processes that affect both the establishment and maintenance of maternal care are presented. The involvement of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and lactogens are discussed in the context of ligand, receptor, and gene activity in rodents and to a lesser extent in higher mammals. The roles of neuroendocrine factors, including oxytocin, vasopressin, classical neurotransmitters, and other neural gene products that regulate aspects of maternal care are set forth, and the interactions of hormones with central nervous system mediators of maternal behavior are discussed. The impact of prior developmental factors, including epigenetic events, and maternal experience on subsequent maternal care are assessed over the course of the female's lifespan. It is proposed that common neuroendocrine mechanisms underlie the regulation of maternal care in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert S Bridges
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience and Reproductive Biology Section, Tufts University - Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
81
|
Catanese MC, Suvorov A, Vandenberg LN. Beyond a means of exposure: a new view of the mother in toxicology research. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c4tx00119b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxicological studies generally view pregnant animals as a conduit through which gestational exposure of offspring to chemicals can be achieved, allowing for the study of developmental toxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary C. Catanese
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
| | - Alexander Suvorov
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences
| | - Laura N. Vandenberg
- Program in Neuroscience & Behaviour
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Amherst
- USA
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences
| |
Collapse
|
82
|
Zimmermann-Peruzatto JM, Lazzari VM, de Moura AC, Almeida S, Giovenardi M. Examining the Role of Vasopressin in the Modulation of Parental and Sexual Behaviors. Front Psychiatry 2015; 6:130. [PMID: 26441691 PMCID: PMC4585274 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vasopressin (VP) and VP-like neuropeptides are evolutionarily stable peptides found in all vertebrate species. In non-mammalian vertebrates, vasotocin (VT) plays a role similar to mammalian VP, whereas mesotocin and isotocin are functionally similar to mammalian oxytocin (OT). Here, we review the involvement of VP in brain circuits, synaptic plasticity, evolution, and function, highlighting the role of VP in social behavior. In all studied species, VP is encoded on chromosome 20p13, and in mammals, VP is produced in specific hypothalamic nuclei and released by the posterior pituitary. The role of VP is mediated by the stimulation of the V1a, V1b, and V2 receptors as well as the oxytocinergic and purinergic receptors. VT and VP functions are usually related to osmotic and cardiovascular homeostasis when acting peripherally. However, these neuropeptides are also critically involved in the central modulation of social behavior displays, such as pairing recognition, pair-bonding, social memory, sexual behavior, parental care, and maternal and aggressive behavior. Evidence suggests that these effects are primarily mediated by V1a receptor in specific brain circuits that provide important information for the onset and control of social behaviors in normal and pathological conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josi Maria Zimmermann-Peruzatto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| | - Virgínia Meneghini Lazzari
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina de Moura
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| | - Silvana Almeida
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| | - Márcia Giovenardi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) , Porto Alegre , Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
83
|
Glutamate, GABA, and glutamine are synchronously upregulated in the mouse lateral septum during the postpartum period. Brain Res 2014; 1591:53-62. [PMID: 25451092 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Revised: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Dramatic structural and functional remodeling occurs in the postpartum brain for the establishment of maternal care, which is essential for the growth and development of young offspring. Glutamate and GABA signaling are critically important in modulating multiple behavioral performances. Large scale signaling changes occur in the postpartum brain, but it is still not clear to what extent the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA change and whether the ratio of glutamate/GABA remains balanced. In this study, we examined the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle in the lateral septum (LS) of postpartum female mice. In postpartum females (relative to virgins), tissue levels of glutamate and GABA were elevated in LS and increased mRNA was found for the respective enzymes producing glutamate and GABA, glutaminase (Gls) and glutamate decarboxylase 1 and 2 (Gad1 and Gad2). The common precursor, glutamine, was elevated as was the enzyme that produces it, glutamate-ammonia ligase (Glul). Additionally, glutamate, GABA, and glutamine were positively correlated and the glutamate/GABA ratio was almost identical in the postpartum and virgin females. Collectively, these findings indicate that glutamate and GABA signaling are increased and that the ratio of glutamate/GABA is well balanced in the maternal LS. The postpartum brain may provide a useful model system for understanding how glutamate and GABA are linked despite large signaling changes. Given that some mental health disorders, including depression and schizophrenia display dysregulated glutamate/GABA ratio, and there is increased vulnerability to mental disorders in mothers, it is possible that these postpartum disorders emerge when glutamate and GABA changes are not properly coordinated.
Collapse
|
84
|
Lonstein JS, Maguire J, Meinlschmidt G, Neumann ID. Emotion and mood adaptations in the peripartum female:complementary contributions of GABA and oxytocin. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:649-64. [PMID: 25074620 PMCID: PMC5487494 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Peripartum hormones and sensory cues from young modify the maternal brain in ways that can render females either at risk for, or resilient to, elevated anxiety and depression. The neurochemical systems underlying these aspects of maternal emotional and mood states include the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT). Data from laboratory rodents indicate that increased activity at the GABA(A) receptor contributes to the postpartum suppression of anxiety-related behaviour that is mediated by physical contact with offspring, whereas dysregulation in GABAergic signalling results in deficits in maternal care, as well as anxiety- and depression-like behaviours during the postpartum period. Similarly, activation of the brain OXT system accompanied by increased OXT release within numerous brain sites in response to reproductive stimuli also reduces postpartum anxiety- and depression-like behaviours. Studies of peripartum women are consistent with these findings in rodents. Given the similar consequences of elevated central GABA and OXT activity on maternal anxiety and depression, balanced and partly reciprocal interactions between these two systems may be essential for their effects on maternal emotional and mood states, in addition to other aspects of postpartum behaviour and physiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J S Lonstein
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
85
|
Buffone AEK, Poulin MJ. Empathy, Target Distress, and Neurohormone Genes Interact to Predict Aggression for Others–Even Without Provocation. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2014; 40:1406-22. [DOI: 10.1177/0146167214549320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Can empathy for others motivate aggression on their behalf? This research examined potential predictors of empathy-linked aggression including the emotional state of empathy, an empathy target’s distress state, and the function of the social anxiety-modulating neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin. In Study 1 ( N = 69), self-reported empathy combined with threat to a close other and individual differences in genes for the vasopressin receptor ( AVPR1a rs3) and oxytocin receptor ( OXTR rs53576) to predict self-reported aggression against a person who threatened a close other. In Study 2 ( N = 162), induced empathy for a person combined with OXTR variation or with that person’s distress and AVPR1a variation led to increased amount of hot sauce assigned to that person’s competitor. Empathy uniquely predicts aggression and may do so by way of aspects of the human caregiving system in the form of oxytocin and vasopressin.
Collapse
|
86
|
Angoa-Pérez M, Kane MJ, Sykes CE, Perrine SA, Church MW, Kuhn DM. Brain serotonin determines maternal behavior and offspring survival. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 13:579-91. [PMID: 25077934 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Maternal care is an indispensable component of offspring survival and development in all mammals and necessary for reproductive success. Although brain areas regulating maternal behaviors are innervated by serotonergic afferents, very little is known about the role of this neurotransmitter in these behaviors. To evaluate the contribution of serotonin to maternal care, we used mice with a null mutation in the gene for tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2), which results in a genetic depletion of brain serotonin, and tested them in a wide range of maternal behavior paradigms. We found that litters born to and reared by TPH2(-/-) mothers showed decreased survival, lower weaning weights and increased cannibalization. In addition, TPH2(-/-) mothers performed poorly in pup retrieval, huddling, nest construction and high-arched back nursing. Aggression in TPH2(-/-) dams was not triggered by lactation and was steadily high. Survival and weaning weight deficits of TPH2(-/-) pups were rescued by cross-fostering and in litters of mixed genotype (TPH2(-/-) and TPH2(-/+) ). However, the maternal behaviors of TPH2(-/-) dams did not improve when rearing either TPH2(+/+) pups or mixed-genotype litters. In addition, TPH2(-/-) pups significantly worsened the behavior of TPH2(+/+) dams with respect to cannibalism, weaning weight and latency to attack. Olfactory and auditory functions of TPH2(-/-) females or anxiety-like behaviors did not account for these maternal alterations as they were equal to their TPH2(+/+) counterparts. These findings illustrate a profound influence of brain serotonin on virtually all elements of maternal behavior and establish that TPH2(-/-) pups can engender maladaptive mothering in dams of both genotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Angoa-Pérez
- Research & Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
87
|
Sabihi S, Dong SM, Durosko NE, Leuner B. Oxytocin in the medial prefrontal cortex regulates maternal care, maternal aggression and anxiety during the postpartum period. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:258. [PMID: 25147513 PMCID: PMC4123787 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) acts on a widespread network of brain regions to regulate numerous behavioral adaptations during the postpartum period including maternal care, maternal aggression, and anxiety. In the present study, we examined whether this network also includes the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We found that bilateral infusion of a highly specific oxytocin receptor antagonist (OTR-A) into the prelimbic (PL) region of the mPFC increased anxiety-like behavior in postpartum, but not virgin, females. In addition, OTR blockade in the postpartum mPFC impaired maternal care behaviors and enhanced maternal aggression. Overall, these results suggest that OT in the mPFC modulates maternal care and aggression, as well as anxiety-like behavior, during the postpartum period. Although the relationship among these behaviors is complicated and further investigation is required to refine our understanding of OT actions in the maternal mPFC, these data nonetheless provide new insights into neural circuitry of OT-mediated postpartum behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sabihi
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Shirley M Dong
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Nicole E Durosko
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Benedetta Leuner
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
88
|
Uriarte N, Fernández MV, Agrati D, Zuluaga MJ, Ferreño M, Ferreira A. Maternal and affective behaviors of lactating rats reared in overlapping litters. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 108:221-30. [PMID: 24746748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Postpartum mating in rats gives rise to complex family units consisting of the mother and two overlapping litters. As a consequence, newborn pups of the second litter, since the moment they are born, acquire experience not only from interaction with the mother and age-matched littermates but also from interaction with older siblings. Newborn pups reared in overlapping litters (OLs) receive a different pattern of maternal stimulation compared to those reared in single litters (SL: one litter of same aged pups), as the mothers reduce some maternal behavior components and juvenile pups from the first litter develop maternal behavior. Since there is strong evidence showing that variations in maternal behavior are transmitted throughout generations, we hypothesized that the altered pattern of maternal stimulation received by OL reared females would modify their behavior during motherhood. To test this hypothesis maternal behavior, maternal aggression and experimental anxiety of dams reared under OL and SL conditions during the first postpartum week were compared. No differences were found between the groups in their maternal behavior and aggression. This result may be explained by the maternal behavior of the juveniles that could compensate for the deficits in the caregiving behaviors received by OL litters. However, a subtle temporal reorganization of the licking behavior was found in OL reared mothers, together with an increased anxiety-related behavior in the plus maze test. These results suggest dissociation in the effects provoked by early environmental alterations on different behavioral systems, and more importantly, that independently of their early family composition, both groups can cope effectively with the changing demands of the pups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Uriarte
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
| | - María Victoria Fernández
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - Daniella Agrati
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - María José Zuluaga
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - Marcela Ferreño
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - Annabel Ferreira
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Experimentación Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| |
Collapse
|
89
|
Vilela FC, Giusti-Paiva A. Cannabinoid receptor agonist disrupts behavioral and neuroendocrine responses during lactation. Behav Brain Res 2014; 263:190-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
|
90
|
de Jong TR, Beiderbeck DI, Neumann ID. Measuring virgin female aggression in the female intruder test (FIT): effects of oxytocin, estrous cycle, and anxiety. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91701. [PMID: 24614336 PMCID: PMC3948875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The costs of violence and aggression in our society have stimulated the scientific search for the predictors and causes of aggression. The majority of studies have focused on males, which are considered to be more aggressive than females in most species. However, rates of offensive behavior in girls and young women are considerable and are currently rising in Western society. The extrapolation of scientific results from males to young, non-maternal females is a priori limited, based on the profound sex differences in brain areas and functioning of neurotransmitters involved in aggression. Therefore, we established a paradigm to assess aggressive behavior in young virgin female rats, i.e. the female intruder test (FIT). We found that approximately 40% of un-manipulated adult (10-11 weeks old) female Wistar rats attack an intruder female during the FIT, independent of their estrous phase or that of their intruder. In addition, adolescent (7-8 weeks old) female rats selected for high anxiety behavior (HABs) displayed significantly more aggression than non-selected (NAB) or low-anxiety (LAB) rats. Intracerebroventricular infusion of oxytocin (OXT, 0.1 µg/5 µl) inhibited aggressive behavior in adult NAB and LAB, but not HAB females. Adolescent NAB rats that had been aggressive towards their intruder showed increased pERK immunoreactivity (IR) in the hypothalamic attack area and reduced pERK-IR in OXT neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus compared to non-aggressive NAB rats. Taken together, aggressive behavior in young virgin female rats is partly dependent on trait anxiety, and appears to be under considerable OXT control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trynke R. de Jong
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniela I. Beiderbeck
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
91
|
Driessen TM, Zhao C, Whittlinger A, Williams H, Gammie SC. Endogenous CNS expression of neurotensin and neurotensin receptors is altered during the postpartum period in outbred mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e83098. [PMID: 24416154 PMCID: PMC3885409 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotensin (NT) is a neuropeptide identical in mice and humans that is produced and released in many CNS regions associated with maternal behavior. NT has been linked to aspects of maternal care and previous studies have indirectly suggested that endogenous NT signaling is altered in the postpartum period. In the present study, we directly examine whether NT and its receptors exhibit altered gene expression in maternal relative to virgin outbred mice using real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) across multiple brain regions. We also examine NT protein levels using anti-NT antibodies and immunohistochemistry in specific brain regions. In the medial preoptic area (MPOA), which is critical for maternal behaviors, mRNA of NT and NT receptor 3 (Sort1) were significantly up-regulated in postpartum mice compared to virgins. NT mRNA was also elevated in postpartum females in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis dorsal. However, in the lateral septum, NT mRNA was down-regulated in postpartum females. In the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), Ntsr1 expression was down-regulated in postpartum females. Neurotensin receptor 2 (Ntsr2) expression was not altered in any brain region tested. In terms of protein expression, NT immunohistochemistry results indicated that NT labeling was elevated in the postpartum brain in the MPOA, lateral hypothalamus, and two subregions of PVN. Together, these findings indicate that endogenous changes occur in NT and its receptors across multiple brain regions, and these likely support the emergence of some maternal behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Terri M. Driessen
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Changjiu Zhao
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Anna Whittlinger
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Horecia Williams
- Department of Animal Science, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Stephen C. Gammie
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
92
|
Ragan CM, Lonstein JS. Differential postpartum sensitivity to the anxiety-modulating effects of offspring contact is associated with innate anxiety and brainstem levels of dopamine beta-hydroxylase in female laboratory rats. Neuroscience 2014; 256:433-44. [PMID: 24161285 PMCID: PMC4097074 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In female mammals, the postpartum period involves dramatic shifts in many socioemotional behaviors. This includes a suppression of anxiety-related behaviors that requires recent physical contact with offspring. Factors contributing to differences among females in their susceptibility to the anxiety-modulating effect of offspring contact are unknown, but could include their innate anxiety and brain monoaminergic activity. Anxiety behavior was assessed in a large group of nulliparous female rats and the least-anxious and most-anxious tertiles were mated. Anxiety was assessed again postpartum after females were permitted or prevented from contacting their offspring 4 h before testing. Levels of dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH, norepinephrine synthesizing enzyme) and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2, serotonin synthesizing enzyme) were measured in the brainstem and dorsal raphe, respectively. It was found that anxiety-related behavior in the two groups did not differ when dams were permitted contact with offspring before testing. Removal of the offspring before testing, however, differentially affected anxiety based on dams' innate anxiety. Specifically, dams reverted back to their pre-mating levels of anxiety such that offspring removal slightly increased anxiety in the most-anxious females but greatly lowered anxiety in the least-anxious females. This reduction in anxiety in the least-anxious females after litter removal was associated with lower brainstem DBH. There was no relationship between females' anxiety and dorsal raphe TPH2. Thus, a primary effect of recent contact with offspring on anxiety-related behavior in postpartum rats is to shift females away from their innate anxiety to a more moderate level of responding. This effect is particularly true for females with the lowest anxiety, may be mediated by central noradrenergic systems, and has implications for their ability to attend to their offspring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C M Ragan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - J S Lonstein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
93
|
de Almeida RMM, Ferreira A, Agrati D. Sensory, hormonal, and neural basis of maternal aggression in rodents. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 17:111-130. [PMID: 24841427 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2014_312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We review existing knowledge of the neural, hormonal, and sensory basis of maternal aggression in the female rat. Although females may express different kinds of aggression, such as defense or dominance, the most frequent and conspicuous form of aggressive behavior among females is the one associated with motherhood. Maternal aggression occurs in various vertebrate and invertebrate species; however, our emphasis will be on maternal aggression in rats because most of the physiological investigations have been performed in this species. Firstly, we address those factors that predispose the female to attack, such as the endocrine profile, the maternal state, and the stimulation provided by the pups, as well as those that trigger the aggressive response, as the intruder's characteristics and the context. As the postpartum aggression is a fundamental component of the maternal repertoire, we emphasize its association with maternal motivation and the reduction of fear and anxiety in dams. Finally, we outline the neurocircuitry involved in the control of maternal aggression, stressing the role of the ventro-orbital region of prefrontal cortex and the serotoninergic system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Maria Martins de Almeida
- Laboratório de Psicologia Experimental, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Instituto de Psicologia do Desenvolvimento e da Personalidade da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
94
|
Perez-Torrero E, Salas M. Early undernourishment interferes with the maternal aggressive response triggered by an intruder entering the homing cage. Nutr Neurosci 2013; 10:17-22. [PMID: 17539479 DOI: 10.1080/10284150601165110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The maternal aggressive response (MAR) against intruders is temporarily expressed during lactation in association with the rearing and protection of offspring to promote their survival and growth in the nest. This normal component of maternal behaviour requires both the hormonal changes occurring at the end of pregnancy and the presence of pups for its establishment. Because early food restriction in the rat results in long-term maternal deficiencies, we analysed in Wistar rats the effects of perinatal undernutrition on the MAR to an intruder at days 1, 4, and 8 postpartum. The data showed that undernourished dams exhibited significant reductions of sniffing frequency on days 4 and 8 and significant increases of biting on day 4 and of lateral attacks on postpartum days 4 and 8. The finding of an altered MAR during the lactating period may be relevant for the survival and long-term behavioural development of the progeny.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Esther Perez-Torrero
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus UNAM Juriquilla, Querétaro 76001, Mexico.
| | | |
Collapse
|
95
|
Bosch OJ. Maternal aggression in rodents: brain oxytocin and vasopressin mediate pup defence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20130085. [PMID: 24167315 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The most significant social behaviour of the lactating mother is maternal behaviour, which comprises maternal care and maternal aggression (MA). The latter is a protective behaviour of the mother serving to defend the offspring against a potentially dangerous intruder. The extent to which the mother shows aggressive behaviour depends on extrinsic and intrinsic factors, as we have learned from studies in laboratory rodents. Among the extrinsic factors are the pups' presence and age, as well as the intruders' sex and age. With respect to intrinsic factors, the mothers' innate anxiety and the prosocial brain neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) play important roles. While OXT is well known as a maternal neuropeptide, AVP has only recently been described in this context. The increased activities of these neuropeptides in lactation are the result of remarkable brain adaptations peripartum and are a prerequisite for the mother to become maternal. Consequently, OXT and AVP are significantly involved in mediating the fine-tuned regulation of MA depending on the brain regions. Importantly, both neuropeptides are also modulators of anxiety, which determines the extent of MA. This review provides a detailed overview of the role of OXT and AVP in MA and the link to anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J Bosch
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, , Regensburg 93040, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
96
|
Carini LM, Nephew BC. Effects of early life social stress on endocrinology, maternal behavior, and lactation in rats. Horm Behav 2013; 64:634-41. [PMID: 24005186 PMCID: PMC3850073 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Revised: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to early life stress is a predictor of mental health disorders, and two common forms of early life stress are social conflict and impaired maternal care, which are predominant features of postpartum mood disorders. Exposure of lactating female rats to a novel male intruder involves robust social conflict and induces deficits in maternal care towards the F1 offspring. This exposure is an early life social stressor for female F1 pups that induces inefficient lactation associated with central changes in oxytocin (OXT), prolactin (PRL), and arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene expression in adult F1 females. The mothers of the rats in the current study were either allowed to raise their pups without exposure to a social stressor (control), or presented with a novel male intruder for 1h each day on lactation days 2-16 (chronic social stress). The effects of this early life chronic social stress (CSS) exposure on subsequent peripheral endocrinology, maternal behavior, and physiology were assessed. Exposure of female pups to early life CSS resulted in persistent alterations in maternal endocrinology at the end of lactation (attenuated prolactin and elevated corticosterone), depressed maternal care and aggression, increased restlessness and anxiety-related behavior, impaired lactation, and decreased saccharin preference. The endocrine and behavioral data indicate that early life CSS has long-term effects which are similar to changes seen in clinical populations of depressed mothers and provide support for the use of the chronic social stress paradigm as an ethologically relevant rodent model for maternal disorders such as postpartum depression and anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Carini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
97
|
Ventral premammillary nucleus as a critical sensory relay to the maternal aggression network. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:14438-43. [PMID: 23918394 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1305581110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal aggression is under the control of a wide variety of factors that prime the females for aggression or trigger the aggressive event. Maternal attacks are triggered by the perception of sensory cues from the intruder, and here we have identified a site in the hypothalamus of lactating rats that is highly responsive to the male intruder--the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv). The PMv is heavily targeted by the medial amygdalar nucleus, and we used lesion and immediate-early gene studies to test our working hypothesis that the PMv signals the presence of a male intruder and transfers this information to the network organizing maternal aggression. PMv-lesioned dams exhibit significantly reduced maternal aggression, without affecting maternal care. The Fos analysis revealed that PMv influences the activation of hypothalamic and septal sites shown to be mobilized during maternal aggression, including the medial preoptic nucleus (likely to represent an important locus to integrate priming stimuli critical for maternal aggression), the caudal two-thirds of the hypothalamic attack area (comprising the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and the adjacent tuberal region of the lateral hypothalamic area, critical for the expression of maternal aggression), and the ventral part of the anterior bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (presently discussed as being involved in controlling neuroendocrine and autonomic responses accompanying maternal aggression). These findings reveal an important role for the PMv in detecting the male intruder and how this nucleus modulates the network controlling maternal aggression.
Collapse
|
98
|
Lieberwirth C, Wang Y, Jia X, Liu Y, Wang Z. Fatherhood reduces the survival of adult-generated cells and affects various types of behavior in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster ). Eur J Neurosci 2013; 38:3345-55. [PMID: 23899240 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Revised: 06/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Motherhood has profound effects on physiology, neuronal plasticity, and behavior. We conducted a series of experiments to test the hypothesis that fatherhood, similarly to motherhood, affects brain plasticity (such as cell proliferation and survival) and various behaviors in the highly social prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). In Experiment 1, adult males were housed with their same-sex cage mate (control), single-housed (isolation), or housed with a receptive female to mate and produce offspring (father) for 6 weeks. Fatherhood significantly reduced cell survival (assessed by bromodeoxyuridine labeling), but not cell proliferation (assessed by Ki67-labeling), in the amygdala, dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, and ventromedial hypothalamus, suggesting that fatherhood affects brain plasticity. In Experiment 2, neither acute (20 min) nor chronic (20 min daily for 10 consecutive days) pup exposure altered cell proliferation or survival in the brain, but chronic pup exposure increased circulating corticosterone levels. These data suggest that reduced cell survival in the brain of prairie vole fathers was unlikely to be due to the level of pup exposure and display of paternal behavior, and may not be mediated by circulating corticosterone. The effects of fatherhood on various behaviors (including anxiety-like, depression-like, and social behaviors) were examined in Experiment 3. The data indicated that fatherhood increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors as well as altered aggression and social recognition memory in male prairie voles. These results warrant further investigation of a possible link between brain plasticity and behavioral changes observed due to fatherhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Lieberwirth
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, 1107 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1270, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
99
|
Tsuneoka Y, Maruyama T, Yoshida S, Nishimori K, Kato T, Numan M, Kuroda KO. Functional, anatomical, and neurochemical differentiation of medial preoptic area subregions in relation to maternal behavior in the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:1633-63. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
|
100
|
Medial amygdala lesions modify aggressive behavior and immediate early gene expression in oxytocin and vasopressin neurons during intermale exposure. Behav Brain Res 2013; 245:42-9. [PMID: 23403283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 02/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The medial amygdala and neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (VSP) have been associated aggressive behavior regulation. However, the specific mechanism involved in OXT and VSP modulation in distinct brain regions during hostile intermale aggressive behavior is undetermined. A retrograde tracer mouse model was employed using male C57BL/6 mice injected with rhodamine-conjugated latex microsphere suspensions in the right hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. Adult male C57BL/6 mice (aged 14-16 weeks) were subjected to resident-intruder testing using juvenile intruder mice (aged 3 weeks) or adult intruder mice (aged 8 weeks). Following exposure, Fos protein expression was increased in the medial amygdala neurons of resident mice receiving the retrograde tracer. Thus, medial amygdala neurons projecting to or localized in the vicinity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus showed immediate early gene (IEG) expression following resident-intruder testing that was considered an indirect marker of activation. Additionally, intermale aggression-related behaviors were inhibited or modified by exposure to juvenile or adult intruders, respectively, in mice that underwent medial amygdala lesioning. Furthermore, Fos protein expression in OXT-positive neurons was attenuated. Thus, ablation of medial amygdala neurons prevented immediate early gene expression in OXT- and VSP-positive neurons in the hypothalamus, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, and medial preoptic area during intermale exposure. These findings indicate that the medial amygdala likely modulates hostile aggressive behavior associated with immediate early gene expression in OXT and VSP neurons in specific brain areas, which may actually be instrumental in beneficial social interaction-related aggressive responses associated with mating, territorial defense, and offspring protection.
Collapse
|